Institute Prep
by Violet1996
Summary: Tessa has recently been accepted into the world famous Institute Prep School in London. She is slated to spend the next three years in London, and finds that life at Institute can be a little hectic.
1. Arrival

**Disclaimer: If it's not Cassie Clare's, it's mine. Enjoy! (And please do R &R)**

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Tessa was in the backseat of a taxi. She had the window rolled down, the London air whipping her hair away from her face. She still couldn't believe that she had been accepted into the world famous Institute Preparatory School. It had been a dream come true. Of course, Tessa had been disappointed by the fact that she would have to be thousands of miles away from her parents and brother, but she had accepted the fact that she would see them at Christmas. The cab pulled up in front of the school, and Tessa paid the driver before she lugged her luggage out of the back. She took a moment to stare at the grandeur of this place.

The school appeared like a castle, with its towered rooms and arched doors. At that moment, someone tapped Tessa's shoulder, causing her to jump. "I'm sorry if I scared you, but I was wondering, are you Theresa Gray?" Tessa nodded, and the girl smiled. "Phew, you made it here in one piece. I was afraid that the plane may have left you behind in New York." When Tessa gave her a blank look, the girl quickly regained her composure. "Alright, pretend I didn't say that. I'm Victoria Montclaire, your roommate. I was told to meet you near the main entrance. Come on, then." Tessa relaxed and smiled at her new, excitable roommate. "Please, call me Tessa, everyone does." "Okay, Tessa" Tessa detected a foreign accent, but couldn't quite place it. She was as tall as Tessa, with black hair that reached past her shoulders, and violet eyes. Tessa was surprised by this, because she didn't even know it was possible to have violet eyes. Victoria didn't really seem to notice Tessa staring as she deftly helped Tessa with her bags. They lugged them through the main corridor, up two floors, across a connecting bridge, through a building, down a flight of stairs and down a corridor until they finally reached a door, with the numbers 317 pasted to the door. Victoria opened the door with her key, and led Tessa into the room.

For a dormitory bedroom, it was spacious. Each girl had a bed, desk, vanity and wardrobe for her things. There was a shared bookshelf and wall mirror. They also had the luxury of a private bathroom, with enough counter space and shelf space for the two of them. Victoria flung herself into her desk chair, speaking to Tessa as she rummaged through the mess on the desk.

"Alright, so here's what you need to know. First of, the dorms. In this room, anything that isn't mine is yours. Feel free to take up as much space as you need." Victoria had been generous, Tessa noticed. She had only used one of the three shelves on the bookshelf, and the bathroom too had few of her things. It won't be hard, finding space for my things, Tessa thought. "Also, we don't have a strict lights out policy in this room, but the school issues a 11 pm curfew on school nights. We don't have a curfew on Friday and Saturday nights, because some of the students live close enough to the school where they can go home on the weekends. Secondly, this school arranges the dorms differently than most. Although individual rooms are separated by gender, the dorms aren't. In room 315 on our left is two boys. Room 319 on our right houses two girls. We're all randomly assigned to dorms once we're enrolled here. There are twelve houses on campus, each one housing just under 100 students. Needless to say, space gets tight. There is a common room in every house on the ground floor, which houses a television, games, and a small kitchenette, in case anybody wants to cook or save food for later. Every place on campus is connected by a bridge that runs through the second floor of every building, so if you're ever lost, just make your way to the second floor and work from there. Have I lost you yet?" Tessa shook her head.

By this time, Victoria found what she was looking for. "Finally. Headmistress Branwell had asked me to give you your schedule and the school handbook. I just found it. And I was told to make sure you got your uniform, which I set in the closet." Tessa took the papers from her, finally getting a chance to talk. "Thank you, Victoria. So when do classes start?" Victoria opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a loud noise coming from room 315. She gave an irritable look at the wall before she kneeled onto Tessa's empty bed and banged on the wall adjacent to it. "Will Herondale, can you stop that infernal racket!" she screamed through the wall. The noise stopped after that, and Victoria turned to Tessa. "I'll explain more about him later. Anyways, classes start tomorrow, with the first block beginning at 8. Each class is about an hour long, and classes finish at 3. There is an hour long lunch break from 12 to 1. After that, you're free to do as you please. So tomorrow, I'll show you around the main campus. After that, you should be set. Welcome to the Institute!" she finished with a flourish, landing dramatically onto her purple and black bed furnished bed.

Tessa laughed as she began to unpack. Victoria had come in the previous week, so she helped Tessa out. Tessa's bed was covered in a medium blue bedspread. Tessa hung a corkboard on the wall above her bed, which had some pictures and thumbtacks so Tessa could attach reminders. Over the course of the few hours, Tessa learned a lot about her new roommate. Victoria lived in Paris with her aunt, uncle and cousins. Her parents had died when she was ten, and she had been attending boarding schools since. Tessa expressed her sympathy, but Victoria had waved it off. "I miss maman and papa a lot, but I've become used to living in boarding schools. Besides, I like having freedom." It took them all afternoon to unpack Tessa's things. Her books barely fit into the bookshelf, and Tessa was trying to find space for the others in her desk.

"You know, I don't think I've seen anyone with as many books as you. Except maybe Will, but he's a lunatic to begin with. I don't know how you're going to fit your school books in here. Come again, I'm no one to talk. I can hardly open my wardrobe without things falling out." Tessa was about to enquire who Will was, but Victoria brushed aside her question, replying "You'll meet everyone at dinner. I'll introduce you to my friends tonight. I prefer people to make their own judgements." After they had crammed the last of Tessa's books into an empty drawer in Victoria's desk, the two realized that they had two hours before dinner would be served. Having forgone lunch, they were starving. They wound up eating chocolate out of a bag that Victoria kept hidden under her bed. They ate while they watched _Napoleon Dynamite_ on Victoria's laptop, both of them sprawled across her bed. The movie ended at seven sharp, just in time for dinner. Victoria stretched her arms and searched for her shoes, which she had kicked off the minute she entered the room. After slipping them on she gestured for Tessa to come along. "Dinner's starting. I presume you're hungry, seeing as Cadbury chocolate cannot substitute for a meal. You'll get a chance to meet everyone too." Tessa followed, not knowing what to expect when she went to dinner.

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They reached the dining hall in five minutes, where the food was lined up amongst the walls, buffet style. Victoria pointed out the circular tables and how students were supposed to sit the members of their dorm. "They try to 'foster a sense of togetherness' amongst the students, but all it really does is cause a lot of interhouse rivalry" Victoria said to Tessa. She continued on. "Dinner is always served from 7 to 10:30, so it's up to the students to decide when they want to eat. Breakfast is served from 5:30 to 9, except on weekends when they continue service until 11. Lunch is served only on weekdays during the lunch hour. On the weekends and holidays, it's our job to feed ourselves" Victoria said with amusement. Tessa glanced down the line she and Victoria had joined to get food. Service was quick, and it wasn't long before Tessa and Victoria were heading to a table in the center of the room, decorated with Ethan house decorations. Most of the chairs were filled, save for Victoria's and Tessa's seats. The two sat, Tessa more timidly. "Hey, since when do we have scrawny, blushing belles at this table?" asked a male voice coming from Victoria's other side. Tessa blushed, true to the cruel nickname, as Victoria replied "Since you joined us Will." She shoved his black locks out of his eyes before she said " I can see you had an excellent holiday, William. Oh and before I forget, Will, the 'scrawny belle' happens to go by the name of Tessa. She's my new roommate, and if I hear any complaints, heads will roll." Will rolled his cobalt blue eyes before he returned to industriously working through his dinner. Victoria turned to Tessa."That was the ever-so-charming William Herondale. He can be a pain, but if he annoys you, feel free to hit him on the head with something heavy." "As the person of discussion, I object to that!" cried Will. "Well, you haven't suffered any permanent damage yet, so it seems to be alright." With this, Tessa stifled a laugh, causing Victoria to grin and Will to glare at her. Tessa quieted, and Victoria continued on.

"On Will's other side is James Carstairs, but everyone calls him Jem." At the mention of his name, Jem looked up, and regarded Tessa silently. "Pleased to meet you Tessa" he said with a charming smile. "Nice to meet you too, Jem." Jem had black hair, like Will, but he had silvery eyes instead of blue ones that WiIl possessed. "James is our reasonable one, probably the only one in the group. Well, we do have Sophie and Thomas. Oh, and Tessa, Will and Jem are the boys whom I was mentioning earlier, who live in 315 next to us." Tessa took this information in. Jem seemed alright; he didn't strike Tessa as the type to play loud music in the middle of the night and keep the whole floor up. Will, on the other hand...

"Okay, next to Jem is Sophie, and next to her is Thomas, Cecily, Gideon, Mark. The boy in-between you and Mark is Gabriel." Everyone said hello to Tessa, and she returned their acquaintances. "There are a few other important things. Sophie and Cecily are in the dorm next us in 319. Expect a couple of late night visits from them. Thomas and Gabriel are on the same floor, but they got a room in the East Wing while the rest of us wound up in the West Wing. Gideon and Mark are on a floor above, because they're a year older. Anyways, that's all you need to know for now. I'm famished, let's start eating." Tessa began to work through her dinner. The food was extremely good, but Tessa figured that if she ate every meal like this, then she would put on 10 pounds by the time she went home for Christmas.

After she finished, she joined Sophie in line to grab some dessert. Sophie was quiet, hardly saying much at dinner. She was pretty, with rich brown hair and pale green eyes, but she had a scar that ran above her eyebrow across the left side of her head, ending at her temple. Sophie turned to Tessa. "It's lucky that you got roomed with Victoria. She may be free-spirited, but overall, she's a good girl. She won't eat your brain on little things, and she'll make sure you have fun while you're here. Truth be told, if it wasn't for her, I might still not have any friends here." Tessa smiled. "I like her. She's been extremely helpful, and even let me have some of her desk space for my things. How is it, rooming with Cecily?" By this time, they had reached the deserts. Tessa picked up a slice of cheescake, hoping it would taste remotely similar to the ones she got in New York. Sophie picked up some chocolate mousse before replying "Cecily is a lot like Victoria. Kind, and sweet, but free-spirited. As with all roommates, we've had a few disagreements, but beyond that, we've been the best of friends since Year 9. She doesn't care what people think of her, like her brother Will." "She's Will's sister?" "Twins. They may look like carbon copies of each other, but their personas are so different. Cecily is kinder and more outgoing. Will is quieter and more sarcastic." They had reached the table by then.

Gabriel had shifted into Tessa's seat while she was away, and he had his hand in Victoria's hair, playing with it while she spoke. Victoria noticed Tessa coming and gently shoved Gabriel. "Move over Gabe. Tessa's back." "Aww, but then I'll be away from you." "Gabe, I'm sitting two seats over!" "That's still too far for me." Victoria kissed him on the cheek. "There, now will you move?" "I guess"" he said, shifting over with a dramatic flair and smiling at Tessa. Tessa sat down and raised an eyebrow at Victoria. She grinned as she said "Gabriel's my boyfriend. We've been dating since the winter of last year." At that moment, there was a loud clanging noise coming from the front of the room. A small woman was standing at a podium, trying to demand everyone's attention. "That's Headmistress Branwell. I guess it's time for the start of term speech she always gives. She looks like she's strict, but in reality, she's great. Really kind and understanding" Victoria whispered to Tessa. Tessa nodded and looked forward again.

"Good Evening. I hope you all had an excellent summer holiday, ready and refreshed for the start of term tomorrow. We would like to welcome the newest members of this school in the Institute family. It is a great honor to be accepted into the Institute. A note to all new members and a reminder to our returning students: There is a strict curfew enforced at 11pm for all students on school nights, and everyone must return to their houses by then. There is also a no-roaming-in-the-corridor policy enforced between midnight and 5 am. We will not tolerate any of the shenanigans that happened last year. You know the rules, and I expect you teach the newcomers. I don't want any ducks in the hall, or stink-bombs in the boys toilet, or food fights in the common room. Do I make myself clear?" Everyone in the room nodded their heads.

"The duck issue was our fault. Although, I wish I had been in on the food fight idea. That would have been fun." Victoria whispered to Tessa. Tessa looked at her in shock. Sophie was right, she was free-spirited. "I hope that dinner was to your suiting. Alright, off to bed with you all, you have classes to attend tomorrow. I wish you the best of luck for the upcoming year. Good night!" With that, Headmistress Branwell left the podium, amidst much applause. Everyone stood to leave, and make their way back to the dorm. Victoria walked alongside Cecily, talking animatedly about her holiday in Santorini. Tessa walked behind them, trying to memorize the pathway back. "So, Tessa, you came from the States, right? Where exactly are you from?" Tessa turned in surprise to find Jem walking alongside her.

"Well, I lived in Manhattan, in the Upper East side." Jem smiled at her. "I went to New York on holiday a few summers ago. My parents are firm worshipers of travel, so every summer, we usually go somewhere new and foreign. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in America." Tessa began to animatedly talk to him about her favorite sites in New York, and even other cities that Jem had visited, like Boston and Washington DC. He was pleasant to talk to, and it was easy to engage him in conversation. Tessa hadn't even realized when they had reached the dorms. She turned to Jem when they reached his door. "Well, it was nice talking to you. Hopefully, I'll have some classes with you." Jem gave her a strange smile. " I think you have chemistry with me. Tori took the liberty of setting your schedule next to everyone else's and made sure that there was someone with you at all times. I think the only time one of us isn't with you is during your free period on Friday. Anyways, goodnight Tessa." Tessa nodded before turning to go to her room. Victoria was opening the door then. She looked up when she heard Tessa coming. "Oh good, you're here. I completely forgot to give you your room key. Let me do that now."

They stepped into the room and Tessa closed the door behind them. Victoria walked over to her desk and pulled out a key from the second drawer. With a dramatic voice, she put the key in Tessa's outstretched palm. "I now hand you, the key to the best room in the Institute. It is an honor bestowed only to the most worthy." After Tess closed her fingers on the key, the two burst out into a fit of laughter. It was now their turn to get yelled at from a neighboring room. "Some of us are trying to sleep here!" cried Will from the next room. "As if you won't be up all night reading anyways, Will!" Victoria shouted back. Immediately the yelling stopped. Tessa smiled before she grabbed her pajamas and dashed into the bathroom to change. When she emerged, she found Victoria changed from her white top and jeans into a pair of sweatpants that had amour written down the sides, and a white shirt to match the dark pants. "Tessa, I'm going to be stepping out for a bit. It's 10:15, and Gabriel wanted me to meet him in the common room. Is that alright?" "That's fine, Victoria. Thank you for everything. I don't know how I would've managed without your help." "Don't mention it. Honestly, I've been getting kind of bored, being alone in this room. It's nice to finally have some company. Anyways, if you need anything, bang on either wall and ask for either Jem, Will, Sophie or Cecy. They'll be more than willing to help." With that, Victoria made her way out of the room.

She walked down the corridor until she hit the staircase that split the corridor into two. She saw Gabriel coming towards her from the other, changed into a tank top and navy sweatpants. She ran into his outstretched arms. He swooped her up into a hug and set her down gently, still holding onto her. "Let's go downstairs, Gabe." "Actually, I have a better idea. Thomas said he's going to Mark and Gideon's room until curfew. So this means, that my room is empty. Shall we?" "You are crazy Gabriel, but yes, I'll go with you." He took her by the hand and led her down the hallway, picking up their pace until they reached his room. He let them in, and they both flopped onto his bed, lying next to each other in the small space. Tori twined one of her legs with his, and took his hand. "Tell me about your holiday. I haven't seen you since you left Paris." Gabriel began to talk, words flowing out of him. He continued to talk until Victoria felt a small vibration in her pocket. Her phone. She had set it to vibrate at 10:55 so she could make it to her room in time. "Gabe, I have to go. Curfew."He groaned before he rolled over to the side of the bed. He leaned against the wall to let Victoria up. She stood up and kissed him once on the lips, lightly.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the breakfast table."

"Alright. And Tori?"

" Yes, Gabe?"

"I love you."

"I love you too. Now good night."

She left the room and made it back to her dorm, with a minute to spare.

She walked in to find Tessa reading a book in bed. She looked up when she saw Tori enter. "I was wondering when you were coming back." Tessa banged on the wall. "Jem, she's back!" "Alright. Good night!" "Night, Jem!" Victoria had set herself on the edge of Tessa's bed, and raised an eyebrow. "He stopped by 20 minutes ago to check in on us. When he found you were gone, he asked me to yell through the wall when you got back." Victoria nodded in understanding, and stared at the book in Tessa's hand.

"What are you reading?"

"My Sister's Keeper. A more modern work. It's good, but sad."

Victoria turned the book over in her hand once before handing it back to Tessa. "I've never been able to understand why people like reading so much. I've found so much meaning in the world of art. Drawing and painting have always been for me."

"I think every person has their escape. Oh, and I called home too. I can't believe how expensive it is to make an international phone call!"

Victoria laughed. "Tell me about. I only call into my aunt's place about once a week because of the rates. How is everyone?"

"They're all good. They miss me, of course. My brother Nate is starting college at Brown tomorrow, so my parents were helping him move in. They were just finishing up when I called; it was almost 5 there."

"Good to know everyone's in one piece. It'll take time, getting used to the time difference and being away from home. But the education this place gives makes up for it all. Anyways, we should probably go to bed now. It would be a shame to be late on our first day."

Victoria settled herself under the covers and flicked off the light. "Good night Tessa."

"Good night, Tori." Victoria fell asleep almost immediately, but Tessa was up for a while, hugging her knees to her chest, watching the moonlight stream through the window.

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In the neighboring room, Will and Jem were in the process of getting ready for bed. Will was stretched across his bed, which was against the wall that was shared between their rooms and Tori's and Tessa's. His feet dangled off the edge, and he was staring at the ceiling, his arm bent under his head. Jem walked out of the bathroom to find Will in this strange disposition. He laughed before he sat down at his desk chair and opened his laptop.

"Will, are you alright? You've seemed very distant today."

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine. I was thinking about Tori and that new roommate of hers. What's her name again? Tara?" Will wasn't an idiot, he knew the girl's name was Tessa.

Jem sighed. "Tessa, Will. It's Tessa."

"Yeah, her."

"What were you thinking about?"

_How pretty she is_. "How Tori's going to manage with a roommate. It'll be the first time in her life she's had to share anything."

Jem was half-listening. He had an earbud in one ear, and was trying to listen to the violin piece he was supposed to play the next day in class. "I think Tori will be fine. She was really excited about Tessa's arrival, if you couldn't guess from last week's discussions."

Will remembered. Tori had been jumping all over when she found out she was going to have a roommate this term. Will hadn't cared at the time, figuring it would be some stick-in-the-mud girl. But although Tessa was quiet, she seemed observant and intelligent. Well she had to be, if she wanted to get through the entrance exams this place had. Will couldn't help but think how brown hair and gray eyes were a lovely combination. He sighed before he turned in his bed to face Jem. "How long do you plan on staying up?" "Another ten minutes. You can turn off the lights though. I need to listen to the piece, not see it. Good night, Will" "Good night, James." Will flicked off the light, falling asleep instantly, his dreams filled with gray clouds.


	2. The First Day

**Thanks for the reviews guys! I'm glad you're liking the story! **

**Disclaimer: Anything that doesn't sound original is Cassie Clare's.**

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Tessa woke up the next morning to her alarm buzzing. She checked her phone. 6:30. She got out of bed and quietly made her way to the wardrobe. Tori was asleep and facing the wall. Tessa pulled out her school uniform and made her way into the bathroom. She stepped into the shower, the hot water waking her up. She stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself. She took the uniform out of its packet and stared at it. There were 4 skirts, 2 in black, 1 in white and 1 in navy blue. There were 3 white shirts, made of thin material and long sleeved. There were also two navy blue shirts of the same material and length. There was also a blazer with the school emblem on it, for chilly days. Tessa put on a white shirt and black skirt. The skirt hit her mid-thigh, a little short Tessa's taste. She sighed before she gathered the rest of her clothes in her arms and made her way barefoot out of the bathroom. Victoria was still in bed, snoozing away, even though it was nearly 7. Tessa figured she should wake her up.

"Tori, wake up. It's seven o'clock. You have class in an hour, get up."

Victoria covered her face with a pillow. "No Tessa, don't make me."

"Get up Tori."

"No."

Tessa had to take the other girl by the arms and literally drag her out of bed. She hit the floor in a heap.

"Alright, I'm up! I'm up!" she said, standing up and raising her arms in surrender. She walked over to her wardrobe and when she opened it, half a dozen pairs of shoes fell. She began to swear colorfully in English and French. She shoved the shoes into the wardrobe, leaving a pair of boots out and stalked into the bathroom, coming out 15 minutes later, dressed in a navy shirt and the white skirt, looking much more awake. She smiled. "That's better. Grab your book bag and we'll head over to the dining room for breakfast. Tessa nodded and grabbed her bag along with Tori's, handing it to her. "Thank you Tessa. How did I function this long without a roommate?" she said as they exited the room.

"Because one of us would wake you up every morning" said a voice from behind them. They turned to find Sophie and Cecily leaving their room, dressed in the uniform. "Very true." They made their way to breakfast in silence, still groggy from sleep. They were the first ones to arrive, and they retreated to the table in the center. While Tessa and Sophie opted to eat lightly and took just fruit and a slice of toast, Cecy and Tori loaded up with eggs and bacon. Tori began to explain the schedules as they ate.

"Alright, so you have first period chemistry with me and Jem today. That isn't the case everyday. The schedule rotates through eight periods. You have all eight periods on Mondays, and you drop two each day for the rest of the week. You have next period math with Sophie and Mark, who's behind a year. You have history with Will and Thomas. You have English with me and Will. You have French with Gabriel and Sophie. Since you're enrolled here for the Writing diploma, you had to pick two writing electives. Will's the only one us doing that program, and coincidently, you both chose the same extra electives, European Literature and Creative Writing. You also have a mandatory fitness class and mandatory free period, which occur every other day. You'll have those classes once or twice a week instead of four times like the others. Any questions?" Tessa had one. "What exactly happens in the free period?" "We'll, it's an hour you have to do anything you want. You can go to the library, make up work, meet with a teacher if they're available, do homework, whatever you want. I usually go the library unless the free period is first period. Then I sleep in for an extra hour" she said, wiggling her fingers. "You did that a lot of mornings anyways."

This comment came from Mark, who had appeared with Gideon. "Hasn't anyone told you? I don't take nonsense from the peanut gallery " replied Victoria scathingly. He sat next to her, while Gideon took a seat next to Sophie. Victoria had finished her breakfast, and was neatly setting her used napkin in the center of the table. "The boys usually come down a little later, closer to the start of class. Although, like Mark said, I could've given most of them a run for their money with the amount of tardy detentions I scraped up last semester. I should probably try to be on time" she said to Tessa.

At that moment, they were joined by Gabriel and Will. Will dropped into the empty seat next to Tessa, much to her annoyance, while Gabriel sat on his other side. From what the boys were wearing, Tessa deduced that the boy's uniform consisted of khaki, black or navy pants with either a yellow, navy or white shirt. Will picked up Tessa's apple and took a bite out of it, setting it back on her plate. "Jem and Thomas are heading straight to class, they weren't feeling very hungry. Which is probably good for them, especially Thomas, because he has Anatomy first period. Who knows what they'll dissect" he said. "Oh stop, Will. It's not like pig dissection happens on the first day of class."

Tessa choked on her orange juice with Cecily's response. She looked at her apple in disgust before she gently shoved it back towards Will. " Did you really have to do that? Here, I wasn't hungry anyways." "I only wanted the one bite" he said. Victoria stood up, hoping to do some damage control before it was really needed. "Will, either eat the apple or toss it. Tessa, grab another one on the way out. We'd better get going; I'm not going to let Mr. Cartwright mark me late on the first day. We'll see you guys later." Tessa and Victoria stood to leave, leaving their plates near on a stand near the trash.

They made their way to the cellar of the school. "All of the science labs are here. It's the newest part of the school, being constructed about ten years ago" Victoria explained to Tessa as she pushed in a big glass door, leading into a white, pristine lab. It looked like something straight out of a college. Victoria led Tessa to the back, where Jem was already seated at a lab table, scrolling through his phone. He grinned when he saw Tessa and Tori. "Morning. I can see you're on time today." Each table had space for two students, so Tori let Tessa sit next to Jem while she sat in front of them, swiveled on her stool to face them, her elbows on the their table. She scowled at him. "I know I've had an issue with being on time to class, but why has everyone insisted on picking on me all morning?" "Because it's easy to annoy you." She scowled at him again before she turned to talk to a girl who had just arrived. Jem turned to Tessa.

"Good morning. Did you sleep alright?" "I'm fine. I'm still jet-lagged, so I was up for a while." "You'll get used to it. My mother is Chinese, so we often travel to China to visit relatives. The time-difference between here and there is a bit more than the time difference between here and New York, so I get what you're going through." At that moment, Mr. Cartwright walked in with a stack of books, and began distributing them to each student. When he saw Tori, he smiled. "Ms. Montclaire, I see you have decided to grace us with your punctuality today." The entire class burst into a fit of laughter, causing Victoria to redden. "Honestly, guys. It's not like I was late to every single class last year!" Tessa gave her an apologetic smile and turned to , excited to start the new year.

Tessa's morning went by in a blur. Each class was fast-paced and rigorous, and Tessa arrived at lunch already loaded with reading in Chemistry, 50 problems of review from math and she had to read _Of Mice and Men_ for English class by Wednesday. She dropped her loaded book-bag near their table, sighing as she sat down. "Already tired? Wait until next week, that's when they really start cracking down." She looked up to find Will lowering himself into the seat beside her, a sandwich in his plate. "Where is everyone else?" she asked."They'll be coming." The European Literature classroom was right near the dining the hall, so Tessa and Will had been the first to arrive. Tessa couldn't wait for the others to arrive; Will had chewed her brains throughout European Lit. Tessa had barely made it in time to class, and the only empty seat in the class happened to be next to Will. He then proceeded to fill her notebook with crude drawings, and then make nasty comments about the number of questions she asked. Cecily slipped into the empty seat on Tessa's other side, a salad on her plate. "What a morning. Apparently, they've replaced Ms. Durham with a new bat who goes by the name of Ms. Worthinghall. I have so much history homework to do because of her." She angrily stabbed a piece of lettuce, shoving it into her mouth. Victoria rushed in at that moment, pulling Tessa to her feet.

"All of you bring your stuff, we're eating outside today. It's so nice out and our tree is free." They made their way to the academic courtyard, and found the others seated on a blanket. They were already plowing through lunch, a book open in front of each of them. Lunch was a quiet affair, as everyone wanted to get a head start on their homework. Tessa's afternoon went by quickly, and soon it was three o'clock. She didn't really know what to do, so she made her way to the dorm, where she found Victoria in the process of changing into shorts and a tank-top.

"Why are you in such a rush?" asked Tessa, setting herself on her bed. "Tessa, I don't know how I forgot to mention this, but I play on the girl's football team during the fall, and on the tennis team in the spring. I have practice every day from 3:30 to 5:30, and games on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting tomorrow. Don't expect me back before 5:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and I'll be gone from 6-8 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I've gotta run, so I'll see you later. Oh, and don't be in the bathroom when I get back." With that whirlwind discussion, she dashed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. "Well, it was nice talking to you too" Tessa muttered. She didn't want to start doing her homework; she had just spent all day in classes. She changed into a casual blue dress, with beige birds printed over it. She was in the process of deciding what to do when she heard a knock at the door.

She opened it to find Jem and Will standing there. "Hello. We were wondering if you would like to come into London with us. We weren't in the mood to start homework, and Victoria just ran by with her football gear. I figured you might need some company." said a smiling Jem. Tessa stared at him and a sullen Will, who was leaning against the wall opposite the door, hands in his pocket.

"How long were you planning on staying out?"

"Until six-ish" replied Jem.

"Alright, let me grab my bag." Tessa scooped up a cross-body bag and slung it on her shoulder, closing the door behind her. "Lets go!"

Jem and Will took her to Trafalgar Square, where there were plenty of shops and cafes nearby. Tessa took pictures on her phone of the popular tourist attraction, and then the three of them had some gelato from a nearby vendor. Jem was talking animatedly, explaining all the things Tessa had to see in London. Will was silent, occasionally slipping in a sarcastic comment here and there. Tessa felt rejuvenated when she entered the dorm a little after six. She found Victoria lying flat on her bed, reading Of Mice and Men. Her was damp from her shower, and she was dressed in the same sweatpants and top as the night before, hair in a ponytail. She sat up when Tessa entered.

"Hello, I saw the note you left me. Did you have fun?"

"I had really good time. Jem was good company, and we went to Trafalgar Square."

"Glad to hear it. Anyways, I'm going to try to finish this before dinner" she said, waving the book.

Tessa nodded and slipped into the bathroom, showering and changing into casual clothes. She worked on homework until eight o'clock, when Tori got up and said she was going to head down for a bite to eat. Sophie, Thomas and Gideon were at their table, nearly finished with the meal.

Victoria dropped next to Thomas, who seemed to be half asleep over a piece of chicken. She slapped him playfully on the back of his head."Wake up, Thomas!" He groaned before he propped his head into his hands, picking at the remainder of his dinner. Victoria turned to Tessa. "We don't always eat together. We try, but everyone has such different schedules, especially with sports. Cecily plays rugby, and her schedule includes games on Saturdays. Gideon also plays football. In the winter, Will swims while Gabriel and Mark play hockey. In the spring, Sophie and I play tennis, while Cecily and Jem are on the athletics team. And everyone is involved in some student organization or another. Remind me to give you a list of the student organizations when we get back to the room. You should probably join one or two." Tessa nodded as Sophie started to speak. "Hey Tessa. We came down as Cecily and Mark were finishing dinner. Will and Jem haven't shown up yet, but they'll probably be here later. And Thomas said that Gabriel wasn't feeling well, so he's skipping on dinner tonight." Victoria raised an eyebrow at that comment.

"Oh really? Thomas, are you going to your room after this?"

"I left all my stuff in the library, Tori.I haven't been to the room since I left at six, and I didn't plan on going back just yet."

"Alright, I'll bring him something to eat then." She got up, and tossed the remains of her pasta, picking up a plate of salad on the way out.

Tessa finished the rest of her dinner, and took a longer route back to the dorm with Sophie. The path took them outside, into the brisk evening air. They walked by the pond. Noticing a few ducks on the bank, the girls walked over to them and tossed a few bits of croutons that Sophie had brought out. "Sophie, what exactly happened with the ducks from last year?" asked Tessa. Sophie began to laugh.

"I really shouldn't be laughing, but Victoria had suggested that we take the ducks from the pond and stick them in Will's bed, who had borrowed her statue of the Eiffel Tower for an art class and somehow managed to break it. It was one of her father's prized possessions. Well, for some reason, Will has always hated ducks, so you can imagine the amount of screaming we heard when Will discovered them on his pillow. Needless to say, he was not happy, and Victoria spent a week in detention for it. But to this day, she claims it was worth every shelf she cleaned for Ms. Durham ." Tessa laughed at her story. She could just picture an angry, screaming Will. Sophie shivered as a gusty wind blew by them. "Let's go. I still have homework to do and I want to go to bed early." Tessa nodded and the girls made their way back to the dormitory. Tessa went to her room and finished up whatever homework she had the energy for before she passed out in her bed at ten o'clock, lights still on.

* * *

**This chapter was a little dull, but I wrote it to establish a routine. I hope you guys like it! Let me know what you think! **

**In other news, I finished reading ****_The Midnight Heir_**** yesterday, and I was an emotional wreck afterwards. I also learned that 2 am is not a good time for reading. =\**


	3. Golden Libraries and Awards

**Hey everyone! So first of, I want to thank you all for the reviews! I feed off of them, and all your suggestions and tips are really helpful. It'll probably take a couple of days to post the next chapter, because I want to write about the party from multiple view points. Enjoy!**

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The next couple of weeks went by in the blink of an eye. Tessa was slowly starting to get the hang of living in a boarding school, and what exactly being at the Institute entailed. She hadn't much time for anything besides school work, and no one at school ever slept before midnight. But the previous weekend, the entire group had managed to scrape enough time on Sunday to go to Westminster Abbey and the London Eye. Tessa had enjoyed the break from being on the school grounds. There were a few weekdays when Tessa had found time to go to a football match of Tori's or Gideon's, but beyond that, she was often holed up in her room or the library.

The first time Tessa saw the library, her mouth dropped open in shock. It was huge. It was a separate building on campus, and was two stories high. The outside looked like a building straight from Greek architecture, while the inside was decorated in gold and dark wood. The ground floor was purely academic. The books ran throughout the perimeter of the floor, organized by their respective subjects. The center was filled with tables and chairs and computers. The first floor was hollowed in the center, giving people a view of the ground floor from the top. This floor had more recreational literature. There were newspapers and magazines, along with short stories and novels. Tessa had spent her the better part of her free period on that first Friday roaming through the shelves. In the mood to read a more classical piece, she picked up _Wuthering Heights_ and settled herself into a hidden corner with plenty of beanbag chairs and window benches overlooking the academic quad. She had also been surprised when Will walked into the corner, who had been clearly been looking to be left alone, but found Tessa instead.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"What am I doing here? What are _you_ doing here? Don't you have class now?" she asked.

He smirked. "So many questions. You know, it would do you no harm to answer other people's questions once in awhile. Go on, I asked you first."

She sighed. "I have free period and I don't have any homework. I thought I'd look around. Your turn."

"I'm supposed to be in Russian, but we're learning about Peter the Great, so I decided to skip."

He noticed the unopened book in her hands. "_Wuthering Heights?_ That silly book where people give up love for wealth? You have a fickle taste in literature."

He sat on the same window bench as her, setting himself on the opposite end. Tessa had her legs bent in front of her, almost as a defensive barrier. "And what are you reading? Show me, you can't criticize my taste in literature without letting me critique yours."

He showed her the cover. "_Lolita_? If my taste is fickle, then yours is downright morbid!" She scowled at him and opened her book, hiding behind it. He scowled back and took up the same position as Tessa, opening his book. And they spent the rest of the period in silence, reading away as the rain began to steadily come down on London.

* * *

The Institute was not only notoriously difficult, it was also really competitive. Everyone was always working to get the best grades and maintain the cleanest records, trying to edge each other out on every assignment. Tessa had even played witness to a girl break down in tears in her European Lit class because she got a 90 on her test. Tessa hadn't been able to understand why everyone was like this, and decided to ask Tori about it one night.

She smiled when Tessa asked. "I'm glad someone has noticed the competition is ridiculous here. The marks necessarily don't matter now, but they do matter when you hit Year 13, and the Institute Award is handed out."

"Institute Award? What's that?"

"It's an award that started being handed out by Headmaster Foster during the 1950s. Every student is automatically entered when they reach the Fifth Form, but each student has to go through a series of tests to get the person who passes them all, and with the highest number of points gets the award."

"What kind of tests?"

"We don't know. They change them every year, and they're not all written tests, mind you. Two years ago, there was a riddle- scavenger hunt as one test. There was a triathlon as another test several years before that. The competition serves to pick out the best student, physically, intellectually, charismatically, etc.""

Tessa shuddered. "Why are people so desperate for this award then?"

"Because of the prize that comes with it. The recipient gets full tuition to any university in the world of their choice, including universities like Harvard or Cambridge. They also get a paid internship at any company or industry of their choosing. Last year's winner chose to go to Stanford and do an internship with Google for the next few years. Opportunities like this don't come at all, which leaves everyone vying for the top spot." Tori returned to her presentation for her Economics class, but Tessa thought over this new information.

Any college in the world. This meant that she could go to Columbia or Yale without putting herself through tons of debt. She could get paid to work in Random House or Prometheus Publishers. She shook her head to clear her mind. _Enough. You need to finish this year first._ Tori turned back to Tessa. "Tessa, were you planning on coming to the Space Party at Club Pandemonium?" Tessa had heard about the party during one of her classes, but hasn't really thought about going. "Ummm, I'm not really sure." "Oh, Tessa, you have to come! It's on a Friday night, so you wouldn't have to worry about school work or curfew." "But I'm not really the clubbing type." "I can transform you in a heartbeat, Tessa. Please? The rest of us are going." Well that sealed the deal. There was no way that Tessa wanted to be left out of the group. "Alright, I'll go." "Excellent!"

* * *

The week flew by, and before they realized it, it was Friday afternoon. Victoria was heading back to the dorm from football practice;practice had run late and she still had to get ready for that night. She ran into Will as she was about to enter the main building. "William, what are you doing here?" He turned when he heard his name, grinning at Victoria. "I just grabbed some Starbucks for me and Jem" he said, holding up the cups. She had reached him by then, and she looped her arm through his elbow. She smiled ruefully at him, ruffling his hair with her hand. He began to talk, filling up the corridor with chatter. When they reached the dorm, Will stopped in front of his door as Tori struggled to open her's. She looked at him as she turned the key. "You know what Will? See what you're doing Sunday. If you're free, maybe you, me and Jem can go out, for old times-" she stopped short as she glanced into her room, staring at it, especially Tessa's half. She started to laugh. "Will, we'll finish that conversation later," she said stepping into the room, leaving a mildly confused Will in the corridor.

Tessa was standing in front of her wardrobe, wondering what she should wear. Victoria walked in, locking the door behind her.

"Tessa, what on earth?"

"Tori, help, I have no idea what I'm doing and I've never been to a club before and-"

"Okay, Tessa, stop." Victoria stuffed her gear under her bed, and threw open her own wardrobe on the other end of the room. After digging through it, she pulled out a white dress. It was sleeveless, and although it was completely covered in the front, the material dipped into a deep V in the back, and the dress flowed from beneath the chest, covered in a slight amount of glitter, causing it to shimmer. "How about this one?"

Tessa walked over to Victoria and fingered the material. "This is perfect, Tori. Let me put this on." Tessa took it and walked into the bathroom, putting on the dress and coming back out. It was about the same length as the school skirts, which Tessa had finally managed to get comfortable in. Tori whistled when she saw Tessa.

"You look hot, blatantly put. Here, put these on." She chucked a pair of bright red ballet flats at Tessa, along with a red bag over. She put them on.

"Come here, and sit in the chair at my vanity."

Tessa did as she was told, and Tori touched up her face and hair, applying makeup and combing her hair into a simple ponytail. Tessa looked at her face when she was done, and she liked what she saw. Tori had flushed out her skin and applied the makeup to bring out her eyes and lips. She went to go stand in front of the mirror, taking it all in.

Tori came up from behind her, grinning in the mirror. "You look great. I'm going to take a shower and get dressed, because I have about 20 minutes to get ready before we have to go." She dashed into the bathroom, and true to her word, she was out in 20 minutes. Tori had dressed in a beige dress that was skin tight. It had a simple round neck and was printed in a dull green tribal print. The dress covered her arms and stopped about mid-thigh. The dress dipped in the back like Tessa's, and she had paired it with beige heels and a similar colored purse. She left her hair loose down her back. After examining herself in the mirror, she gestured for Tessa to come over to the mirror. "Stand here, I want to take a photo of the two us." They stood in front of the mirror, and grinned into, Tori's phone flashing away.

She bagged the phone and grinned at Tessa. "Alright let's go!"

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**Hope you liked it! Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I didn't want to mix the party with the rest of this stuff.**


	4. Club Pandemonium

**Hey everyone! So again, a big thank you to those of you that have reviewed and/or followed this story. Each one matters! I've decided to divide the party and the afterward into two parts, mostly because it was getting too long, and, I'll admit it, I'm having trouble writing the second part. I've hit some writer's block. Enjoy!**

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**Tessa's POV**

They stepped out of the room and made their way to the main entrance of the Institute. They were the last ones to arrive. Cecily waved to them. "Hey guys! The limo should be here any minute now." Tessa looked at Cecily. "Limo? What happened to the old-fashioned taxi?" Mark turned to Tessa. "The Herondales have more money than they know what to do with. So when we all go out together, they cover the expenses. Right Will?" Will, who was holding up the nearest sign by leaning against it, nodded at this. He had smirk plastered on his face, but Tessa couldn't help but think that it looked good with the white pants and yellow Polo shirt he was wearing. At that moment, the limo pulled up. Tessa had been in a limo once or twice before, but never something as fancy as this. They piled into it, with enough space for the 10 of them. There was a small mini-fridge in the corner, and it was filled with beverages. Tessa was settled between a window and Jem. Will was seated on his other side. On the opposite end, Victoria was seated next to Gabriel and Gideon and Sophie sat on the other end of the tan seat. Mark, Thomas and Cecily settled themselves on the floor of the limo, leaning against the back of the interior and stretching their legs in front of them. "Alright, we'll be there in half an hour, so get comfortable and dig in!" cried Victoria.

* * *

**Will's POV**

Will hadn't necessarily wanted to go to the Space Party. When Jem had tried to ask him a few nights ago, he had complained. "Why should I go? It'll be a stupid party with a bunch of brats and wannabes from Institute." Jem had sighed and leaned against his pillows. Both of them were tucked under their blankets, chatting away until the other one got tired. "Because, the rest of us are going, and you don't have any plans for Friday anyways." "When you say everyone..." "I mean nine of us, at the moment. You would make ten. Tessa's coming, I know that's the information you've been wanting to hear."

Tessa. That girl... Will hadn't really known what to think when he first saw Tessa. He knew that she didn't really like him. According to Victoria, Tessa thought that Will was a "sarcastic ass". But she loved books, and was really smart. Jem had figured it out right away that he liked Tessa, and was trying hard to be a helpful friend, but Will didn't really know what he wanted. Besides, he wasn't one for commitment. Jessamine and Alexandra flashed through his head at that moment. Will shook his head. "Whatever. I'll go then. It's not like I have anything better to do."

Which was why he was stuck inside a limo, heading to Club Pandemonium. Tessa was seated on the other side of Jem, her arms folded onto the edge of the door, her head resting on them. Will was surprised when he saw her coming with Victoria earlier. The white dress made her look sweet and pretty. He realized that she looked better in this dress than in something that would've been too revealing. He saw that Thomas was trying to coax her to pick her head up and have a drink from the fridge. She was refusing. Of course she would. Everything in it was alcoholic, and Will figured that she wouldn't drink. He sighed and leaned back as he sipped his vodka, looking out in the London night.

* * *

**Jem's POV**

"Tessa, are you alright?" She looked up at Jem, searching his face. He was beautiful to look at, with his thin face and silver eyes. He was dressed in a pair of light blue jeans, white shirt, and black blazer, going for a semi-formal look. James figured she might just be tired, and tried not to pressure her into having a drink. He had a glass of scotch in his hand, sipping it while she spoke. "I'm fine James. Just tired. I usually don't do much on Fridays because I'm re-cooping from a long week." She picked her head up, and leaned against the headdress. Tessa was pretty, but not necessarily his type. Besides, Will was the one who was falling for her, and for Will he would do anything. He smiled at her.

"Well that's better than a lot of replies you could've given me. So tell me, have you ever actually gone to a party like this before?" She nodded her head slightly. "Twice. And both were disasters." Poor thing. This party was not for amateurs, but not for experts either. "It'll be fun. Pandemonium has a great space, and the food's good too." "James?" "Yes Tessa?" "Keep an eye out for me, would you?" He patted her hand lightly "I will Tessa."

* * *

**Cecily's POV**

The limo pulled up in front of Pandemonium, the party already in full swing. The club was one of her favorite places. The volume of the music was high, making it hard to hear the person next to you. Pandemonium also did a good job with decorating for a theme, with comets and and stars and multi-colored lights decorating the place. The club was circular, with tables and couches lining the dance floor in a ring. The club also served food, which was a rarity, but was good for people who really wanted to spend some time. With her purple pencil skirt and black top, Cecily fit into the scene well. She settled herself at one of the bar stools at a high table, the rest of the group scattering themselves around it. Victoria sat next to her. "The usual, Cecy?" she said, raising her eyebrows. Cecily nodded, and they called a waiter over. Everyone was busy, so the girls ordered for everyone. Gideon was trying to talk to Sophie, who had dressed similarly to Tessa, except in a forest green dress with white accessories. Tessa and Jem were seated on the opposite side of the table, chatting away animatedly about some movie that had come out awhile ago. Will, Thomas, Gabriel and Mark were engaged in a serious discussion on something; probably videogames, if Cecily's guess was right. Cecily and Victoria started to talk as quietly as possible.

"Cecy, how long as Gideon been interested in Sophie?"

"Since last semester. She knows too, that he likes her. She's sweet, but so shy. And that scar does nothing to help her self-confidence."

Both girls remembered how Sophie got her scar. During their first year, Sophie had been coming back from a late dinner in the dining hall on a Saturday when some boys from a nearby school snuck onto campus and started harassing her. When she tried to push them away, one boy hit her on the head with a beer bottle, while another slashed at her face with a knife. She had collapsed, and it wasn't until nearly one in the morning when Cecily had knocked frantically on Victoria's door, saying that Sophie hadn't come back. They had searched the campus together, finally extracting her from behind a bush an hour afterwards. They had carried her to the infirmary, where she had spent three weeks recovering physically and mentally. It was a long time before she stopped flinching every time someone reached out to her. Cecily shuddered at the memory.

"Well, Gideon's a good guy. He won't hurt her."

They looked at her, watching her laugh at something he had said. He relaxed, glad that she was laughing and loosening up. About then, the food and drinks arrived. Cecily called out to the rest of them. "Hey, come on, the food and drinks are here!"

Everyone gathered around, digging into the fries and grabbing a shot a piece. Tessa raised her eyebrows. "You guys didn't get carded for the drinks?" Cecy smiled. "Nope. They don't really bother checking, unless you look really young. The boys look old enough, so the waiter didn't bother." She took a shot and handed one to Tessa. "Go on, one won't kill you."

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**Tessa's POV**

Tessa took it, staring at it curiously. She'd drunk alcohol before; you couldn't live in the Upper East Side and get away without drinking. But she rarely did. She knew she should say no, but she was tired of always being the good one. She took it and drank it in one gulp. She set the glass down on the table, amidst a bunch of cheers from the group. She shook her head.

The alcohol burned in the back of her throat, but she felt a new energy coursing through her. She liked this feeling. She grinned, and drank another two. Everyone gaped at her, and cheered some more. She then dug into the food, suddenly starving.

* * *

**Victoria's POV**

She wasn't hungry. Victoria had just ordered a drink, sipping it while everyone else ate. They were squeezed around the small table; there was just barely enough room for them. Gabriel was standing next to her, a hand on her back and his legs pressing into hers. When he was done, he wiped his hands on a napkin, and gestured to the dance floor. She grinned and took his hand. "Guys, were going to hit the dance floor. Join us whenever." She lead him by the hand, and they disappeared into the crush of people.

* * *

**Tessa's POV**

She stared after them. "She definitely wears the pants in that relationship." Everyone laughed. She wanted to be on the dance floor, but didn't really feel comfortable with the idea. Her eyes were rested on Tori and Gabriel. She had her back pressed to his chest, and they were... what were they doing?" She turned away, embarrassed by the sight. Jem noticed, and laughed. "She's always like that. Bold and ferocious, which is exactly why Gabriel loves her. Would you care to dance, Tessa?" She nodded, taking his hand.

He took her hands and swung her around her circles, making her a little dizzy. It was so easy to be around Jem. Not awkward at all, but pleasant. The drinks she had were making her light-headed, so after a while, she wandered over to a couch, dropping into it. Jem had gone to the bathroom. She saw Victoria and Gabriel again, this time face to face, her arms wrapped around his neck. Tessa also saw Mark and Cecily, who were fooling around from the edge of the dance floor, tripping people and generally annoying them. She couldn't see Gideon and Sophie, but didn't really care at the moment. Just then, she saw Will on the dance floor, dancing with a blond girl.

* * *

**Victoria's POV**

She was exhausted, and she wanted to leave. This week had been too busy, and she hadn't slept in the past two nights. She had been on the dance floor for nearly an hour and a half, and it was almost ten o'clock. She had her arms wrapped around Gabriel tightly, her head on his shoulder while they tried to keep up with the music. "Gabe" she murmured in his ear, "Let's go. I don't wanna be here anymore. Take me away." He picked her head up gently,and saw the exhaustion that was lining her face. "You know , Tori, my father is out of town on business this weekend. Gideon plans on going back to school after this. This means that the house is empty. Do you want to go there instead?" Victoria thought this over for a moment. She didn't really want to go to school, and she liked the Lightwood manor. "Alright, I'll go with you." He led her out of the floor safely, picking up the shoes and clutch purse she had deposited by the table. "Let's find someone to let them know where we're going."

They scanned around, and found Tessa sitting on a couch in the back. She looked like she was concentrating very hard on something. Tori turned to Gabriel "Wait here." She bolted up the low steps until she reached Tessa. "Tessa, are you alright?" Tessa looked up, and tried to focus on Victoria's face. "I'm fine, just a bit dizzy. What's up?" "I'm not coming back to the dorm tonight. I'm going to Gabriel's instead, so don't be shocked if I stumble in in the morning, okay?" Tessa, feeling a little giddy, wiggled her eyebrows at them. "The whole night, Tori?" Victoria raised an eyebrow back, and then they both burst into a fit of giggles. "Oh stop it." Victoria said playfully, slapping Tessa's arm lightly. With a wave, she left the building barefoot, with Gabriel's free arm slung around her. Outside, they hailed a cab and deposited themselves into it, the journey to Gabriel's passing by in a blur.

* * *

**Tessa's POV**

She watched as Will danced with the girl, expertly turning her and grinding up against her. Tessa had thought that Will was beautiful, a Heathcliff on the moors. But she had discovered quickly that his beauty was cold, and tried hard to keep away from him, even though he turned up everywhere. They had had several dinners alone together in the dining hall, which had often ended with Tessa yelling at him and stalking her way out of the hall. Tonight, she didn't really care. She was looking for Jem, when someone plopped down beside her.

It was a boy, with blond hair and blue eyes. He was cute, and Tessa found herself staring at him. He reminded her of a friend she left behind in New York. "Wild party, huh?" he said, looking at her. "Tell me about it. I can hardly hear myself think with all the noise." _Not because of the noise, but because of the drinks_. The boy grinned at her. "I'm Scott, Scott Williams" he said, holding a hand out to her.

"Tessa, Tessa Gray" she said, shaking it.

"Pleased to meet you, . Are you from around here? Because I detect a foreign accent in your voice."

She giggled. "I'm from New York. I attend Institute Prep, so I'm staying in the dorms."

"I'm in a prep school too. But I'm in Eton, close to Regent's Park. How do you like it at Institute?"

"It's great. I have sooo many friends, even though the classes are hard."

"It's a shame, I know that it's notoriously difficult to get into. I actually tried for Year 9, but I didn't get through the entrance exams. And there are no second chances at Institute."

Tessa stared at him. Tough luck. She expressed her sympathy, but he waved it off.

"Don't be. Besides, I like Eton, but being in an all boys school does have its downsides. We don't have pretty girls like you there."

Normally, Tessa would've been flattered, but there was something in his look that just seemed off. The comment came off as creepy, not complimentary. And the drinks were doing nothing to help her thinking. "Thank you, but I have to go. My friends are waiting for me." She had no idea if that was true or not. She was just about to rise when Scott took a firm hold of her wrist, pulling her back down. "I think your friends can wait a moment. You've already kept them waiting long enough. One more minute won't hurt." He placed his hand on her knee, which was exposed by the dress. Tessa gulped.

The last time she had been in a situation like this, Chris had been there to help her. She looked around desperately for anyone, but there was no one in sight. Scott leaned into her, and Tessa tried to back away from him, leaning her head back over the arm of the couch, He was nuzzling her neck, his hand slowly creeping up her leg. Her hands were balled into fists and were placed in-between the two of them. "Scott, stop it. Get off of me." She tried vehemently to push him away, but he was too strong. His lips were grazing her cheek, and she was trying to get away, but he kept leaning forward. All of a sudden, she felt a weight lifted off of her.

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**Hehehe. I apologize for the cliffhanger. You'll have to wait until the next chapter to figure out who Tessa's savior is. Although, you'll probably be able to guess. Ciao ;)**


	5. The Dark Knight

**You guys will be pleased to know that I cured my writer's block late this afternoon, and I was able to finish this chapter. Hooray for clear thinking! And thank you guys for the follows and reviews! I hope you guys appreciate my play on words with the title, which will make more sense once you read the chapter. **

**To Arya: I hadn't intended to put the 'Ciao' bit in there, it was a spur of the moment thing. But I'm glad you appreciated it. =)**

* * *

**Will's POV**

Will was dwindling the time away, dancing with some blonde girl. She was pretty, but Will had already forgotten her name. He looked for Jem, wishing to get out. He glanced around the room when his eyes landed on the back corner. He saw Tessa, but she wasn't alone. There was a boy with her, and... what on earth was he doing? She looked slightly creeped out, and it wasn't until Tessa started to draw away from the boy who was leaning over her that Will sprang into action.

He ditched the girl, ignoring her frustrated calls. He ran up the steps and reached Tessa. He hauled the boy off of her, setting him upright. Will punched him across the face, sending him spinning to the floor. "What the hell?" he shouted, wiping away the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth and rising to his feet. Will glared at him before he spat "Stay away from her." He pulled Tessa to her feet, not very gently, and stared at her. "Get your bag, we're leaving." Tessa nodded, too startled to speak. She picked up her purse and followed Will, who wasn't looking to see if she was coming. As they left through the main door, Jem ran into them. "Where are you guys going?" he asked, smile on his face. "We're leaving. Tessa here nearly got molested; I think she's had enough fun for one night." Jem's jaw dropped open, and he stared at her. "Tessa, are you alright?" Tessa wasn't really listening. She was looking up at the ceiling, staring at the lights. 'Aw, Will, aren't those pretty? Do we really have to go?" "Yes, Tess, come on." Jem nodded at them. "Hold up, let me grab my jacket, I'll leave with you." He was back in a minute, and the three of them made their way to the curb.

Will hailed a cab, and the three of them slipped into it, with Tessa in-between them. She was really exhausted, and the minute the door closed, she set her head in Jem's lap, and was snoring lightly in an instant. She had also kicked her shoes off and had stretched her legs into Will's lap. Will rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, while Jem smiled down on her and pushed the hair out of her face. He turned to Will. "Will, I told Cecily, Sophie, Thomas, Gideon and Mark that we left. I think they're going for a short walk before they head back. But I couldn't find Victoria and Gabriel." At that moment, Will's phone started buzzing. He pulled it out of his pocket and stared at the screen. "It's from Victoria. It says 'I'm going to Gabe's with him tonight. Don't expect me back.'" Will looked at Jem, and the two of them burst out laughing. They knew exactly what was going to happen. He sent her a reply 'Alright, have fun, and don't do anything that could leave you changing nappies for the next few years.'" Jem snorted. "She'll be so happy to get that." As if on cue, Will's phone buzzed again. He laughed and showed the screen to Jem. '_You're an ass, Herondale. Good night_.' Smiling, he tucked the phone into his pocket.

Jem looked at him. "You never did tell me what happened to this one" he said, gesturing to the sleeping Tessa. Will sighed, and turned awkwardly in his seat so he could tell Jem the whole story. When he was done, Jem looked down at Tessa. "In hindsight, we probably shouldn't have made her come. She hasn't been to many of these things before." Will shook his head and turned to look out the window. They had reached Institute. Tessa was solidly asleep, and not willing to wake her up, Will carried her while Jem carried her shoes and bag. They made their way to their dorm, with Tessa nuzzling her head into the crook of Will's shoulder. When they had reached her room, Jem rummaged through her bag to find her room key. He opened the door and flicked on the lights.

The room was a mess. There were clothes, shoes and makeup everywhere: slung over the ends of the bed, on the floor, in the wardrobe, on the vanity. Jem picked his way over to Tessa's bed and dumped the clothes onto Tori's bed. "They can figure out the mess tomorrow. Set her down and come on, Will." Will nodded as Jem left to go open their room. Will set Tessa on the bed and covered her with the blankets, opening the window to let some fresh air in. Will was about to go when he felt something grab his wrist. He turned to find Tessa grasping it, muttering in her semi-conscious state. "Don't leave me." And she was snoring again, her grip loosened. Will sighed and set her hand by her side, turning off the light before he left the room.

* * *

**Sophie's POV **

They had left Pandemonium, walking along the street, heading towards an ice-cream place. Sophie had spent most of her evening with Gideon, dancing and talking. He was pleasant company, and he kept her amused with his goofiness. He was accident prone, and could hardly walk without tripping over his feet. Mark, Thomas and Cecily were walking alongside them, engaged in a conversation that she could care less about.

Gideon was a nervous wreck. He was fidgeting with his hands, and stuttering over every other word. But Sophie didn't really care. She thought it was sweet. Gideon was quiet, like her, and tried to stay out of trouble. Except when the others dragged them into their messes and crazy plans. He worked hard, and was determined to graduate with a full business diploma. The late September night had started to get chilly, so she was glad when they finally reached the shop, slipping into the warm interior.

They picked a table in the back, away from prying eyes. Mark, Cecily and Thomas crowded into one side, while Sophie and Gideon took the other. They ordered a large sundae, big enough to feed a family of four. When it arrived, it was packed so high that Sophie and Gideon couldn't see Cecy, Mark or Thomas on the other side. Gideon grinned at her. "Dig in." Sophie laughed, and pulled the cherry off the top. "You can have it" she said, handing it to him. He grinned and bit into the cherry, juice dripping down his chin. He spooned up a bit of chocolate ice-cream and sprinkles and stuffed it into Sophie's mouth. "Here, try this" he said, before she could protest. And they continued like that, feeding each other bits of ice-cream and before they knew it, all five of them had finished the sundae.

Sophie was giddy with happiness as the group made their way back to Institute by cab. After she and Cecy had bidden goodnight to the boys, the girls made their way to their dorm room, collapsing onto their respective beds, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey Soph?"

"Yes, Cecy?"

"What do you think of Gideon Lightwood?"

Sophie turned her head to look at the other girl. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you like him?"

"I do like him. He's been my friend for two years, you know that."

"You know what I mean."

Sophie did know what she meant.

"I don't really know. He is, essentially, good and kind, and I never feel threatened by him. He makes me feel safe."

Cecily turned onto her side, Staring at Sophie. "Well, I for one think that he would be good for you. You need each other. If you decide to pursue him, Sophie, you should know that he would be worth your time. Every last second of it."

Cecily flicked off the light, falling asleep quickly. Sophie was awake for a while, and even she fell asleep, her dreams were filled with green grasses that looked vaguely familiar.

* * *

**Victoria's POV**

Victoria was settled on the floor of the den in the Lightwood residence. The house was huge, but the den was her favorite place. It was a tiny, cozy room, with an L-shaped couch and a television. She had her back to the sofa and was waiting for Gabriel to come back with the popcorn and movie. He entered and shut the door behind him. He also had a pile of blankets with him. "Here" he said, tossing the blankets in her lap and resting the popcorn bowl on the television stand. "I figured you might be cold in that dress." "I'm fine. Thank you though. What movie did you pick?" He showed her the top of the DVD cover, smiling. Victoria grinned. "The _Titanic_! That's perfect! You remembered my favorite." He put the DVD into the player, and joined her on the floor. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she put her head on his shoulder. They spread the blanket over their laps, resting the popcorn bowl in between them. The movie started, and they watched as Jack Dawson won his tickets for the Titanic.

* * *

**Gabriel's POV**

Gabriel watched Tori's face more than he watched the movie. He already each line by heart, and besides, she was prettier to look at. He would never admit it, but the _Titanic_ was one of his favorite movies too. He was reminded of himself and Tori when he saw Jack and Rose together. Tori was the one who always knew how to have a good time, like Jack. She was the one who had loosened up a previously stiff and quiet Gabriel. That was why when Jack and Rose disappeared into the backseat of the car, Gabriel turned Victoria's face towards his, and kissed her.

* * *

**Victoria's POV**

She kissed him back, suddenly not exhausted at all. Ther kisses grew deeper and deeper until they were nearly devouring each other, hungry for the other. They knelt up, upturning the popcorn bowl. He pried her mouth open his lips, tasting the sweetness of her and twining his fingers in her hair. When they came up for air, Victoria pressed her forehead to his, hands cupping his face, and whispered "Your room." He nodded in understanding, and flicked off the television, leading her by the hand up a winding staircase. She shut the door behind her, and she barely had a chance to turn around again, before Gabriel was crushing into her. He turned her in a circle, and walked her backwards until they were both collapsed on the bed. They hadn't bothered to turn the lights on; it was a rare London night where the clouds were gone and moonlight was streaming through the window.

Victoria edged herself backwards on the bed until her head was on the pillows, Gabriel crawling between her legs, which were bent up. He rested his elbows on either side of her shoulders, and began kissing her neck, making her gasp. Her hands fingered his shoulders, and made their way down to the buttons of his shirt. She expertly undid them, and Gabriel knelt up impatiently to shrug the shirt off. Victoria sighed as the moonlight lit up his body. It was smooth but hard, a sheet of glass. She slid her hand down his chest and stomach, pausing at his waist. Her touch caused him to shudder. He leaned over her again, this time, not kissing her, but gazing into her eyes. He slid a hand on the underside of her leg, and hesitated when he reached the hem of her dress. She helped him pull it off her. This was not the first time; the first time had been beautiful, filled with flickering candles and soft music. This time, they were desperate. Their hands traced each other. His hand skimmed her sides and back, his fingers fidgeting on her bra strap. Now she was cold. He brought his hand up to stroke her face once before he said "I love you." "I love you too, Gabriel." With that, he moved over her, warming her to the core.

* * *

**Tessa's POV**

_Tessa was running through the streets of Manhattan, her white heels in one hand. Her other hand was being held by Chris, her best friend. They were trying to get away from the drug dealers that slipped into the club, who were chasing them. Chris and Tessa had started running, and hadn't even bothered to slow down until they reached Times Square. Tessa had stopped to stare at the lights that lit up the place, and in that moment, she lost Chris in the crowd of people. She was turning around frantically, the sweat piling onto her forehead, until she turned into one of the dealers, who was closing in on her-_

And she gasped awake. She put her hand over her mouth, and barely made it to the bathroom in time before she threw up the contents of the previous night into the toilet. She gagged into the bowl, wiping her chin with a piece of toilet paper once she was done. She lied down on the floor, soaking in the coolness of the tiles. Tessa sat up when she was ready, and rose to her feet, staring at herself in the mirror sink. She was still in last night's dress, and she had make-up smeared onto every corner of her face. She splashed some cold water onto her face, and made her way out of the bathroom.

It was dark out, and when she went to check her phone, it flashed 3:30 in the morning. She groaned and sat on the bed, her head in her hands. What on earth had happened? The last thing she could remember was talking to Scott, and everything between that and now was blank. How the hell had she gotten back to the dorm then? She picked up a bottle of water and drank half of it in one gulp, hoping it would flush her head out. She stared at her phone again, and picked it up, clumsily dialing a number.

If she did her math right, it would be about 10 pm in New York. She pushed herself back onto the bed, stretching her feet over the edge and leaning against the wall. The phone kept ringing. Tessa wasn't sure that he would be at home, and she was about to put the phone down when she heard a "Hello?" from the other end.

She sighed in relief. "Chris? It's me, Tessa."

"Tessa! How are you? We haven't spoken in two weeks, I was wondering where you went."

She could picture him sitting on his bedroom floor, leaning against the bed while he spoke to her.

At her silence, he spoke again. "Tessa? Are you alright? And what are you doing up so late, isn't it 3:30 am in London?"

"Chris, I don't know." With that, she began to cry.

"Tessa! What happened? You're freaking me out."

"I was at a party last night, and I had some drinks, and I was with a boy, and I don't remember how I got back to my dorm, and I woke up from a bad dream just now and... I really miss you. I wish you were here" she managed to choke out.

"Oh Tera. I miss you too" was all he said, which made her sob even harder. God she was homesick. "Listen, don't worry about it," he continued, "Go back to sleep, and when you get up in the morning, ask one of your friends what happened. I'm sure it was alright. If anything had gone horribly wrong, you wouldn't be in your dorm right now."

Tessa sniffled and nodded. Then remembering that Chris couldn't see her, she choked out "Thank you. Wait, I have a question for you. What are you doing at home on a Friday night? You hardly ever stay home on Fridays."

He laughed on the other end. "I have to take the SATs in the morning, so I was following the 'do not party the night before the test' rule."

The SATs. Those seemed like a distant nightmare. She shook her head, conversation flowing easier now. Chris was her only friend, her best friend. With all of the changes taking place around her, he was one of the few constants. They spoke about school and New York, reminiscing about old times. Finally, around 4, Tessa said "Chris, thank you again for everything. I think I'm going to turn in now. It's super late and I-" her sentence was cut off by a huge yawn. He laughed. "Alright Tera. Goodnight. Love you." "Love you too. And good luck for tomorrow." She disconnected the call, and put the phone back on her bedside table. She didn't bother changing out of the dress. She curled under the blankets and fell asleep, this time, her rest free from nightmares.

* * *

**Hope you liked it! I have the next chapter nearly completed, so that should be up in the next day or two. Oh, and I have a question for you. I was originally thinking of stopping this story after these guys finish their school year. But now I'm thinking about writing the next two years for them in different stories. Should I do it? Let me know. =)**


	6. Peace Tea

**Hello =) So here's chapter 6, like I promised. Enjoy!**

**To LizzyLuvYou: Chris is Tessa's best friend, and I wanted him to have a special nickname for Tessa. Will already has claim to the name Tess, and Tera was the next best thing I could think of. Thank you for the F&F!**

* * *

**Gabriel's POV**

The next morning, Gabriel blinked awake to see sunlight streaming through the tall glass windows. He sat up groggily, suddenly remembering he was at home, and not in his dorm. In broad daylight, he could see the mess he and Victoria had made of his room from the night before. He saw his pants and her dress scattered on the floor, along with the scrunched up throw rug. Victoria wasn't anywhere in sight, and it wasn't until he sniffed a whiff of something sweet that he guessed where she might be. He walked over to his closet and pulled on a pair of sweatpants, deciding to forego the shirt. He made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, where he found Tori, wiping something off the stove that was settled in front of the window. He smiled when he saw her. She was dressed in just his light blue shirt from the night before, open at the collar. She turned when she heard the door opening, and grinned at him.

"Good morning! I made you breakfast" she said, gesturing to the plate she had set at the breakfast bar. A crepe, true to her French lineage. She had also made their favorite kind, with strawberries and chocolate. She sat down on the other side, a plate in front of her too. They both ravenously, having eaten minimally the night before. Satisfied, Gabriel licked his fingers, and pushed his plate away, leaning his elbows on the table. He could see Victoria raking his torso with her eyes. He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"I know I'm gorgeous Tori, but I don't think that staring at me is going to help anything." She raised an eyebrow at him, pushing her own plate away. "Oh, so you thought that I was staring at _you_? Well, two can play at this game." She stood up from the bar stool, and slowly undid the top button of Gabriel's shirt. He rolled his eyes and took her hand away from the button, pulling her over to his side of the stopped her in between his knees, pulling her close to him. She cupped his head in her hands. "Tori" he started "I was kidding. I love you to the moon and back. You know that." He leaned into her and kissed her once before he pulled away. "So what are the plans for today?" Tori smiled at him regretfully. "I should probably go back to Institute." Gabriel looked at her, confused. "Tori, I do want you here-" "Gabe, I didn't mean it like that. I need to do my homework today, because I'm going to hang out with Will and Jem tomorrow. I should probably check up on Tessa too." He took her hands and kissed them once. 'Alright, if you insist." "It'll be good practice staying away from each other. It's character building." With that, she slipped out of his grasp, and made her way upstairs.

She put on her dress from the previous night, and left Gabriel's clothes folded on his bed. Holding her shoes and bag in her hand, she made her way to the front door, where Gabriel was waiting. She gave him a tight hug. "When are you coming back?" she asked. "Probably tomorrow afternoon. Father wanted me look for some papers in his study for a meeting he has in Shanghai tomorrow. I could do with a break from Institute." "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then." They kissed once more and he watched as Tori made her way to the street, and hailed a cab, tossing her things into the back seat and riding away.

* * *

**Tessa's POV**

Tessa was woken up the next morning by a loud knock on her door. The sun was already up and shining away. Tessa rubbed her eyes and stumbled towards the door, opening it to reveal Jem and Will. Jem grinned. "Morning. We figured it might be a good idea to bring you breakfast, since the kitchen staff was already clearing away most of the food. Tessa blinked again. "What time is it?" Will checked his watch. "It's nearly 11." Tessa moved away from the dor. "Come in, then." The boys picked their way into the room, and Jem set the toast, fruit and coffee on Tessa's desk, which happened to be the only clean spot in the room. The boys took a seat in each of the desk chairs, turning towards Tessa who was sitting on the edge of her bed. "Tessa, how are you feeling now?" asked Jem. Tessa took a sip of the coffee. "Better. I think I've slept most of the alcohol off." He nodded.

"James?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened?" Jem opened his mouth to speak, but it was Will who launched into the story, explaining how he pulled Tessa away from Scott, and how they came back. Tessa was filled relief and confusion. She was glad that nothing had happened, but since when was Will so kind? It was a little unnerving."If it wasn't for your own stupidity, you wouldn't have been in that situation anyways" he concluded, leaning back in his chair. Tessa's jaw dropped. _He would find a way to be a jerk._

"What do you mean, my stupidity? The only thing I did was have a drink, which, if I remember correctly, everyone did."

"What could you possibly remember, you were passed out for most of the night."

Tessa rose to her feet. "Why did you bother helping me then, if I was such a nuisance?" He stood too, matching her glare.

"Because I had nothing better to do."

"You never seem to have anything useful to do, do you?"

"There's plenty of use in the useless if you care to look for it."

"Spare me, Will. You should've just let me get molested then. It's not like you care what happens to me. It's not like you care about what happens to anyone."

Will's eyes widened, and he made his way out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Tessa groaned and sank onto her bed. She regretted the words the minute she'd said them. Jem was staring at her, mouth open.

"Tessa, I know you didn't mean, but you should know that Will does care about you. He cares about everyone. In fact, he's made it sort of his job to look after everyone since his sister died."

Tessa looked at Jem curiously. "Sister? He had another one?"

Jem nodded. "Ella. She was one of the kindest people, but one night, when she was coming home from an ice-cream place, she was hit by a truck. It took her two days to die, the poor thing. Will hasn't really been the same since then."

"Then why is he so sarcastic all the time?"

"It's his way of telling people that he's fine. That he doesn't need anything else."  
"I should apologize."

"Yes, you should, but not right now. Give him some time, and go to the library in the afternoon. I usually find him there when he's in a bad mood."

Tessa nodded and bit into a piece of toast, wondering what on earth she was ever going to do with Will Herondale.

* * *

**From here on, the story is from Tessa's POV unless explicitly stated.**

She had taken a shower, and was dressed in jeans and a striped long-sleeved shirt to battle the October chill. Jem had gone to the music room to work on a piece for a competition, so Tessa enlisted Sophie's and Cecily's help, and Tori's once she'd come back to the dorm, to clean up the mess in their dorm. Once the room was neat, Tessa had grabbed two cups of tea from the beverage bar in the dining hall, and went to the library to find Will. She didn't have the patience to search the whole library, so she started with the corner where they had first run into each other. She was lucky, and she found him reading _Wuthering Heights_ on a window bench, completely engrossed in it. Tessa sat opposite him on the seat.

He didn't look up until Tessa had cleared her throat. "I know I'm not the Queen of England, but would you care to have a cup of tea with me?" she said, holding the extra cup out like a peace offering. He eyeballed it over the book and pulled his feet down, dog-earing the book and taking the cup of tea from her. They both stared at the cup in their hands until Will said "Tessa, you didn't come here to have tea with me. What do you want?"

Still looking down at her cup, Tessa said "I want to apologize for being so rude this morning. I had no right to say what I did. You were only looking after me, as you do with everyone. I am sorry."

Another awkward pause. "I should not have been so rude either, saying that you brought Scott onto you. And for that, I apologize" Will said.

They looked at each other from the corners of their eyes, and smiled. Tessa picked up _Wuthering Heights_ with her free hand. "I thought you hated this book. You called me fickle-minded for it, remember?" He laughed. "I had, but I was reading it again, just to see if there was anything I missed. I clearly didn't." She rolled her eyes, but grinned despite herself. And they sat there, dwindling away the rest of the afternoon, talking about books and sipping tea. For once, they had a peaceful conversation, without screaming, arguments or slamming of objects.

* * *

**From here on, the story is in Tessa's POV, unless explicitly stated.**

Within a few weeks, the brisk autumn weather was turning into a bleak November. It rained for days on end, and with everyone kept inside all the time, tempers were bound to get high. Fall sports ended, so Tessa often played victim to a surly and stressed Tori, who didn't have something to keep her busy in the winters. However, Tori really lost her temper one day at dinner, causing a spectacle in front of the entire student body.

The school was having a semi formal dinner one Monday night, in an attempt to raise some spirits. And everyone was in a good mood, laughing and chatting even after they'd been finished eating. Out of nowhere, a girl appeared and tapped Tori on the shoulder. "Tori, I haven't spoken to you in a while." Tessa watched everyone at the table suck in a breath. Tessa, who sometimes forgot she was the new one, looked over at Sophie. She shook her head, indicating that she would explain later. Tessa nodded and turned to look at Tori who sitting across from her. A muscle in her jaw was twitching dangerously.

Tori stood up behind her chair and turned to face this stranger, giving her the fakest of smiles. "Jessie, I know it's been a while." The girl was blond with brown eyes, and she was short too. "Did you hear that I've been made the head cheerleader this year? They say that this position is given to the most popular girl on campus" she said, matching Tori's smile. "Well good for you Jessie. However, waving poms-poms and cheering for the boys is not my style. I'd rather have them call for me" Victoria said, sitting back in her seat with a satisfied smile. Jessie rolled her eyes. "Well, if my recollections are correct, they were doing exactly that during Year 9. Remember?" she said nastily. Victoria spun to her feet and turned fast to face Jessie again, crossing her arms. "And whose fault would that have been? Because if _my_ recollections are correct, you were the one who drugged my drink. Some friend you were." At this moment, a boy had come up to Jessie's side.

He was blond, like Jessie, but that's where the similarities end. He was tall and lanky, and he had these black eyes that creeped Tessa out. He kissed her on the cheek. "Hey baby, I was wondering where you-" He followed Jessie's gaze to Victoria, and grinned nastily.

"Hey Victoria."

"Shut up, Jonathan."

"How easily you dismiss past love."

"I hate your guts."

"And I can't stand your presence, so it looks like we both have to deal with the unpleasantries."

Gabriel rose from next to Victoria's empty seat, and stood behind her, hands on her shoulders. "Tori", he whispered in her ear, "Sit down, they're not worth your time."

"No Gabe."

"Tori, come on."

Jessie spoke up. "You should listen to your boyfriend, Victoria. Everytime you speak, you cause trouble. The last time you spoke up, I remember it involved ratting me out Headmistress Branwell about the cigarettes."

Victoria smirked at Jessie. "You deserved it. After the party incident, I had no reason to try to cover you. Although, the party incident taught me that your boyfriend over here is an asshole. But, he is an extremely good-"

Victoria didn't get to finish her sentence, because at that moment, Jessie slapped her across the face. "How dare you!" Jessie shouted. Tessa squirmed in her seat; everyone was staring at them now.

"Hold up. You come to _my_ table,interrupting a perfectly good dinner, asking me how I am, and you have the nerve to slap me and then tell me to hold my tongue?" With that, Victoria picked up her cup of coffee and tossed it all over Jessie's white dress. She leaped back and squealed, and watched as the brown liquid dripped down the front.

At that moment, Dean Roberts showed up. Tessa had met him once, and he was a kind man, offering to help her tack up some notices to a bulletin board. But right now, he did not look happy. "Girls, I don't know what happened, but I want both of you in my office right now. Let's go." Victoria scowled at Jessie and the two stalked their way out of the room, leaving the entire hall staring after them.

Gabriel scowled at Jonathan, and sat down in his seat before another argument could get started. Tessa mixed her cup of tea in front of her. "Sophie, who was that girl? And what happened between her and Tori?" Sophie sighed and leaned back in her seat. "The gracious girl you just saw was Jessamine Lovelace. The rivalry between the two of them started Year 9. They knew each other before school started; their parents were friends. The girls were actually best friends, and they were inseparable." Tessa raised an eyebrow. "They were best friends?" Will looked up at her. "Yeah. The problems really started because they got put in different houses. But they still were together as much as they could. And then Jessie met Jonathan."

Cecily spoke up. "Now let me tell you about Jonathan. He is the biggest tool that I have ever come across. He's dated about half the girls on campus, and hooked up with many more. But for some reason, Jessie took an interest in Jonathan. Victoria had warned her against him. And then they both went to a party that Club Pandemonium put on that January. Jonathan had drugged her drink, and before she knew it, Victoria was dancing on table tops. Jonathan had even kissed her afterwards, and that was when Jessie found her. She was furious that Victoria was kissing him, but she doesn't even remember the night. She woke up the next morning in Club Pandemonium, her shirt off and asleep behind a couch. Since that day, there's been a constant war between the two of them. If you thought that scene was bad, you should see them during the House Olympics. It's awful" Cecy finished, shaking her head.

"House Olympics, what's that?" asked Tessa. "It's an annual competition held for the students from First through Fourth form." replied Thomas, who threw his napkin onto the table. "Each house competes by form and dorm, and the winners in each form get some sort of prize. They start in February. It's pretty fun, but really competitive. Anyways, who wants to join me in the common room?" he said, rising to his feet. The remaining girls, Jem and Will agreed to go with the hopes that no one was using the monopoly board. Mark and Gideon headed to the library to do some research for an assignment. Gabriel decided to go to Dean Robert's office to see if he could fend of Victoria's temper before she came back to the dining room.

* * *

**I apologize for the drag of a chapter. I wanted to originally finish the chapter with Will and Tessa in the library, but then I realized it was too short. Then I added in this extra bit of plot with Jessamine. It was going happen, so I figured I should stick it here. For you Wessa shippers, I think you're going to like the next chapter. Stay tuned. Au revoir ;)**


	7. Eye of the Underground

**Here's chapter 7. I hope you guys like it =) I can't believe it turned out so long... **

** LizzyLuvYou: No need to apologize. No harm, no foul =)**

* * *

Near the end of November, Institute provided a five day holiday as a respite from classes. For many students, this was great because they could go home, even if they lived on the Continent. For people like Tessa, they were stuck with an empty Institute. Victoria was flying back to Paris, while Gideon and Gabriel were going to their London manor. Jem's parents lived in London, so he was going home too. Sophie's family lived in Yorkshire, so she was taking the train from King's Cross the afternoon classes ended. Mark and Thomas's families lived on the Continent in Spain and Germany respectively. Tessa was sitting on her bed, her arms crossed under her chest while she watched Tori pack a duffel bag.

"Tori, what am I going to do for five days? I don't have enough homework to do or books to read to fill up the time." Tori looked up from the shoes she was holding in her hands. "Listen, I know you'll figure something out. And it's not like you'll be all alone. Cecy and Will are staying back too." Tessa knew this. Although the family resided in London, the Herondale parents were out of town on business, so the twins were stuck at school. Cecy would be good company, but Will...

It's not that Tessa particularly hated him, she was sort of perpetually annoyed by him. The afternoon in the library had been a rare moment, with Will returning to his churlish self afterwards. But she had found him a little more bearable than before Club Pandemonium, so it was a good sign that things were progressing.

Tessa sighed and hugged her legs to her chest. "I guess you're right." Tori nodded and opened her wardrobe. A thousand items of clothing fell out, covering Tori from head to toe. The sight was so comical that Tessa couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

The holiday went by better than expected. Cecy and Will took Tessa out to see more of London each day. It was freezing, but Tessa enjoyed her time out. They usually didn't get back until late, but she didn't mind it. Neither did the Herondales, for that matter. Their parents were usually busy or away, and they were glad that they had someone else besides each other to keep them company over the break.

On the last night, Tessa was in her room, sitting on her bed and reading. Cecy was spending the night with a friend who was staying in another dorm, so Tessa was looking forward to the solitude. Then, she heard a loud knock on her door. She went to open it and found Will in the corridor. He pushed his way past her and into the room. Tessa scowled and closed the door. _Sure, you can come in, Will._ He took a cursory glance at her sweatpants and t-shirt before he said "Tess, we're going out."

"What?"

"You heard me"

"Do we have to?"

"Yes, now get dressed" he said, throwing open her wardrobe. He looked into it, and then closed the door, walking over to Victoria's wardrobe instead. He rummaged through it and pulled out a black skirt, a black top, black boots and a cobalt blue jacket. He tossed the clothes to her. "Here, put these on. You have ten minutes, go." Tessa stared at him.

"Where are we going?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Hold on. You come barging into my room, disturbing my peace of mind, demanding that I get dressed so you can take me somewhere, and you won't even tell me where that somewhere is?"

He made an impatient noise. "Just get dressed. I'll tell you later."

She threw her hands up in frustration and stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

She put on the outfit, and stared at herself in the mirror. The skirt was extremely short and the boots only hit her lower calf, so Tessa's pale legs were on full display. The top had spaghetti straps and ended a bit below Tessa's chest, leaving a strip of bare skin visible between the skirt and top. The jacket was leather and had long sleeves, but ended just below Tessa's chest. _Provocative_. _That's what this whole outfit is._ She sighed; her parents would've killed her if they saw her outfit. She wasn't even sure why she was agreeing to go with Will. _Whatever_._It's the last night before everyone comes back. I might as well enjoy myself._ She left her hair loose around her shoulders and stepped out of the bathroom.

Will was sitting on her bed, flipping through the book she had been reading, _Looking for Alaska_. He looked up when he heard her coming and leaned back on his hands, whistling lowly. "This outfit is perfect for where we're going." She scowled at him again, and slipped her phone into the jacket pocket. He stood up from the bed, and gestured towards the door. "Let's get going, we don't want to miss the fun."

At the main entrance, Will hailed a cab for them, and they settled into the worn black upholstery. Tessa's legs were freezing; the weather forecast had indicated snow sometime soon. She was bouncing them up and down, her knees pressed together, to keep them warm. Will noticed and laughed. He shrugged off the medium blue zip-up hoodie he was wearing, and handed it to her. "Here, cover your legs with this. It'll keep you warm." She took the hoodie quietly and covered her legs with them. This was better. She turned to look at him. Will was dressed simply in a white v-neck t-shirt and long dark jeans. "Why are you dressed so warmly? And can you please tell me now where on earth we're going?" Before Will could open his mouth, the cab stopped. "Alright, we're here" said the driver. That'll be 20 euros."

Will paid the man and the two of them stepped out. Tessa stared at the sight in front of her. The cab had dropped them off on a street that ran along the Thames. There was an abandoned dock on her left, and what looked like the entrance to a subway on her right, except it was dirty and empty. "I thought you said you were taking me out, not drowning me in the Thames" she said sarcastically. Will grinned at her, slipping his jacket back on. "Come on", he said, gesturing to the subway entrance. "Haven't you learned to not judge a book by its cover?" They slipped down a set of steps, and Will pushed open a door at the bottom. Tessa's jaw dropped when she saw the scene. "Welcome to the London Underground" said Will.

It was an abandoned subway station that had been turned into the largest public venue Tessa had ever seen. The music was blaring from all corners of the station, but the weird thing was, there was different music everywhere. She heard a drum going in one corner, while someone was playing hip-hop on a stereo in the center. The tunnel was awash in lights that were strung on the walls and ceiling. The walls were covered in graffiti, but it didn't look out of place. It made the scene look beautiful. Will and Tessa had stepped onto a low platform that overlooked the station. They went down a small set of steps, and made their way into the crush of people, Tessa holding Will's hand with great force. He led her down the station, expertly weaving his way through the people. Tessa noticed that she and Will were on the younger side of the crowd; everyone else looked to be in their early 20s. They were finally stopped when a girl came out of nowhere and flung her arms around Will's neck.

"Well if it isn't William Herondale! You haven't been here in weeks, I was wondering when you were going to show up!" she cried with a very heavy English accent. Tessa had let go of Will's hand, and observed this girl. She looked to be about 20, with straight black hair that rested on her shoulders. She was about Tessa's height, and was dressed in black boots, a short white skirt and pink bandeau with a beige crop top over it. Will laughed and hugged her back. "Hey Moira, it's good to see you too. School's been keeping me on my toes. Anyways, I brought a friend with me today" he said, gesturing to Tessa. Moira looked at her and grinned. Tessa, who was still feeling awkward in the scene, held her hand out to Moira. "Hello, I'm Tessa Gray." Moira took her by shoulders and looked at her from head to toe. "So you're the famous Ms. Gray that I've heard all about. Well it looks like I'm going to have to steal you from Will for a bit". Tessa eyes widened as Will reassured her. "Moira's harmless Tessa, you'll be fine. I'll catch up with you in a bit." He turned, and started to talk to some boys at a table behind him.

Moira pulled Tessa to a small table that was stocked with beer, and handed her one. "Go on, drink it. One won't hurt you." Tessa sighed and took the bottle. _When in Rome..._ she thought, clinking the bottom of her bottle with Moira's and then taking a sip. The two girls leaned against the wall, and they began to chat. Tessa, who had spent a lot of time surrounded by the generally white population of Institute, was interested in finding out more about Moira, who had some Hispanic background. Tessa was used to seeing people of different races and ethnicities; she had Grown up in New York. There were few at Institute, like Arjun Singhania in the room across from her, and Sophia Chang at the other end of the hall. But her time in London had been pretty sheltered, and she was glad she got to see a different side of it.

But there was one thing that was bothering Tessa at the back of mind. "Moira, when you greeted me earlier, you seemed to know me, even though I'd never met you." She laughed, grabbing another drink. "Will Herondale. I love that boy to the last hair on his head. Will has been coming to the Underground for several years now, and we met when he was just a thirteen year old kid. People normally don't hear about this place until they're older. And we usually get East End folks. You and Will are probably the only teenagers here. Will was the most sullen boy, often quoting literature and talking about the most awful things in his life. He only came alive when he danced. It seems like the rich have their share of problems too."

Moira continued. "But something changed in him recently.I couldn't figure out what, but then he mentioned you to me, and I swear I don't think I've ever seen him grin like that. He went on and on, talking about the books you love, the outfit you wore that day. I finally texted him this afternoon, telling him that I haven't seen him in a while, and that I wanted to meet you. He agreed to come, and it looks like the boy has good taste." At that moment, Moira was dragged away by another friend, and she shouted over her shoulder that she'd be back in an instant.

Tessa leaned forward, her hands on her knees, absorbing this new information. Will Herondale spoke about her? That couldn't be right. All he'd done since the day he'd met her was be sarcastic. Sure, she thought he was handsome, but she never actually thought anything would come out of it.

Moira came back, her face alive with energy, She took Tessa by the hand and dragged her towards the center of the station. "Come on Tessa, you've got to see this." The girls stood in the middle of a ring of people, watching a boy and girl dance away to a drum that someone was beating on the side. Tessa watched in awe as the boy flipped the girl over his head, and she landed neatly in a split behind him. They were ducking around each other, stepping towards and away from each other in a graceful motion. Tessa joined the others around her in clapping to the beat of the music, a smile plastered on her face. After the girl gracefully made her way out of the circle, Moira stepped into it, twirling into the arms of the dark-skinned man that was dancing in the center. Tessa watched with her mouth open as Moira did things with her arms and legs that she didn't think was possible. One second, she would be tightly wrapped around the boy, and in the next he'd be sliding through her legs. And then Tessa noticed Will on the other side, watching not only the dancing, but Tessa as well.

Tessa nodded her head to him in greeting. He smirked and nodded towards the dance floor. _He wants me to step into the circle. He must be completely out of his mind_. She shook her head no. He folded his hands under his armpits, imitating a flapping chicken. He set his arms down before anyone noticed, but that was all Tessa needed. _There is no way I'm going to let him call me a chicken_. She started to take her jacket off, and as Moira made her way out of the center, Tessa tossed her jacket into the crowd and spun into the center.

_Oh crap. Now what do I do?_ Tessa decided not to think so hard, and let her body flow with the drum beat. She loved to dance, and Nate had even taught her a bit of hip-hop when they were younger. Tessa used these skills to twist and turn her body. She moved forward slightly with each step, moving her arm from side to side in a sweeping gesture. She stopped after four steps and began to pivot around in place, gesturing with an arm for someone to come in and join her. The dark skinned man was back, and Tessa stepped towards him, and then leaped away gracefully when he mirrored her move. After several steps, Tessa hopped backwards lightly until her back collided with another body. It was another man, who looked like he came from the Middle East. He was also the bearer of the hand drum that was playing the beat. He wrapped an arm around her waist, both of the them moving back to the center in sync. She pushed him away gently, tracing her hands down the sides of her torso as she moved. She set her arms out and twisted her hips until the man had backed out, and someone else was holding her up from behind. He had blond hair and was wearing a fedora. He swung Tessa around in a circle by holding her from behind. He set her upright and twirled her into and then out of the circle of his arm. Tessa turned to face him and then did a little side step with his feet. She set his hat onto her head, and momentarily wrapped her leg around his. He spun her out of his embrace, and she kept spinning until she landed in the arms of...

Will. Will Herondale. He was in the circle now. Tessa slipped out his arms and the two of them circled each other once before Will took the hat off Tessa's head. She paused, staring at him while he flipped the hat over in his hands and through his legs. He came around Tessa and traced the edge of her body with the brim of the hat. _Enough with the hat already. _She took it firmly from his grasp and spun her way to the opposite end of the inner circle, tossing the hat into the crowd. She turned to face the center again, and found Will sliding along the floor and going right under her legs. He stood up behind her and spun her around him. Tessa put her fingers on Will's chest and used them to back him to the other end of the circle. Then they started to spin back, Will leading the way. He stopped Tessa when she reached him and pressed her back to his chest. He had a hand on her arm, and they swung their hips in perfect sync.

And they continued like that, chasing each other with arm sweeping, back bends, side steps and spins. At last, the beat ended, and Tessa and Will were on the floor, backs pressed against each other's as the applause started, slowly rising to a deafening volume. Will rose to his feet, and pulled Tessa to hers'. They made their way to Moira, who was holding Tessa's jacket. She handed it to her, looking impressed. "For a teenager who goes to Institute, you do know how to dance." Tessa shrugged the jacket on, grinning out of giddiness. "My brother taught me when I was living in New York." Moira nodded and looked at Will, who still had his hand clasped in Tessa's. His face was flushed, and the sweat on the back of his neck was causing his hair to curl. "I've got to run," said Moira, "but it was nice meeting you Tessa. And Will, I want to see you again soon. Make sure to bring Tessa with you." She gave Tessa a hug and then turned to Will. She whispered something in his ear, causing him redden further before he said something back. She gave him a hug, waved and left.

Will turned to Tessa."We should go too.I wanted to take you to one more place before we go back to Institute." Tessa nodded and let Will lead her out of the Underground. Once they had surfaced, Tessa took in a deep breath of fresh air. It was a clear night, with the moon and stars shining above. The Thames was glittering, awash in light. It took her a moment to realize that it was snowing.

"Oh" she whispered, letting go of Will's hand and stretching her arms, twirling slowly in place. Will turned in surprise when he felt Tessa let go of his hand. He stared at her, watching her capture the snowflakes in her arms. He held a hand out to her. "Ms. Theresa Gray, would you care to dance with me?" She shifted her gaze down to him and set her arms by her side. "But there's no music here." "Nonsense. I've been told my voice is quite melodious." Tessa curtsied and then took his hand." Then yes, William Herondale, I would be honored to dance with you" she said, mimicking his tone. He set one hand on her waist and clasped the other with her hand. Tessa set her free hand on his chest. He began to sing at the top of his lungs.

"When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie that's amorrrreeeeeee. When the world seems to shine, like you've had too much wine ,that's amorrrreeeeeee." Tessa threw her head back and laughed. The song was ridiculous, but it seemed right coming from Will. He plowed on. "When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool, that's amore. When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet, you're in love." He whispered the last words, slowing both of them down. He stopped and then took her face in his hands. Tessa stared at him with big, gray eyes. He stroked her cheek bones with his fingers before he brought his lips down onto her hers.

The kiss exploded in Tessa's mouth. Will was being careful,she could sense it in his lips. But she didn't want careful. She had come out for some adventure. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling one hand into his black locks. He groaned and moved one his hands down to her waist, drawing her closer. He set the other into her flowing hair, knotting it in his fingers. His hand moved from her waist and down her back, gripping the exposed skin of the underside of her thigh and drawing her leg up until only her toes were skimming the ground. Tessa gasped at the intimacy of the gesture. Her own fingers were gripping his hair with a lot of force, bringing her head close to Will's. He pried her mouth open with his, letting his tongue explore her mouth. He tasted like cheap beer, but Tessa didn't care. If anyone would've walked out of the Underground at that moment, they would've seen Tessa and Will, framed against the night, kissing each other as if their lives depended on it.

They finally came up for air, after what seemed like ages. Will was staring at her, his face in awe. "Wow" he said, shaking his head as if to clear it. Tessa gave him a teasing smile. "Just wow?" "Better than wow. That was the most beautiful-" He was cut off short when Tessa pressed her fingers to his lips, causing him to be silent. "Shhh. We may live and breath words, but this moment doesn't need any." And they stood there for a moment, staring at each other's eyes.

Finally Will took her hand. "Alright, we still have one place we have to go to. Come on." Tessa followed him to the street, grasping his hand tightly. He hailed a cab, and after a short ride, Tessa got out to find herself staring up at the London Eye. She raised an eyebrow at Will. "I've already been here Will." He just grinned, holding her hand still. "I know, but that was during the day. You need to see London at night to truly appreciate it. Let's get some ice-cream first, I'm famished." Tessa's stomach growled as if to respond to his comment. She nodded and they both bought cones from a nearby vendor.

They got in line for the ferris wheel and were quickly placed in a cabin. Many people didn't come to the London Eye this late in the middle winter, so Tessa and Will were blessed with a cabin all to themselves. They sat side by side on a bench near the edge, licking their ice cream and watching as they slowly rose to tower above London. The city was beautiful, shaped by lit up buildings. The Strand was teeming with life, and the Thames was decorated with several boats, slowly moving along.

"And I behold London, a human awful wonder of God." said Will, looking at the view. _I know this. William Blake. It was mentioned in European Lit._ Tessa turned to him as he continued on. "When Blake wrote this, it was during a time when London was an industrial hub, crowded with people and covered with the dirt and smog from the factories. But I don't think he would've said that if he saw London now."

Will turned to face her. He smiled at her from under his locks. "By the way, you ice-cream on the corner of your mouth." "Oops" said Tessa, as she brought a hand up to wipe it away. Will grasped her raised hand slowly, and gently set it by her side. "Allow me" he said, leaning in to kiss the sweet treat off of her. Desire overcame common sense to Tessa at that moment, and she turned in her seat, setting her hands on Will's chest as he kissed her. They may have come for a view London, but they missed most of it as the Eye slowly turned into the clouds.

* * *

Tessa was in her bed, lying awake in a sleeveless satin nightgown. She had the blankets pulled up to her chest, and stared at the moonlit patch on her rug. She couldn't believe that her first kiss had been with Will Herondale. She hadn't thought much about what her first kiss would be like, but she knew that she had wanted it to mean something. And it had.

She started to drift off, exhausted from the perfect night. _It was a great first kiss_ she thought. _It couldn't have happened any better. _ She fell asleep, a smile on her face, with dreams filled with beer, ice-cream, water, winter and most importantly, Will.


	8. Trials and Tribulations

**Here's chapter 8. I'm glad that you all enjoyed the last chapter; it was a lot of fun to write. It's probably my favorite chapter so far. Enjoy, because I don't know when I'm going to get to update next. Starting from the middle of this week, my life is going to get exponentially busier, with school starting soon and all this prep work I have to do. And I have to work on my college applications. =/ I'm going to try to update at least once a week, though. **

* * *

**Tesa's POV **

Having a boyfriend was something Tessa was not used to. Before she came to London, she hardly had friends, let alone admirers. But Will never let her feel awkward. He was full of surprises, and he wasn't the type of boy to parade his love. He showed it to Tessa in the little things. A rose to start her day, or a piece of cheesecake from a New-York style bakery that she loves for her late nights. She was content, and he was filling her life with everything that he could give her.

For the moment, they were keeping their relationship a secret. Tessa didn't really understand why, but she didn't mind it. She thought it was romantic, all the sneaking around. They usually arranged to eat meals together, and of course, European Literature and Creative Writing provided more time for the two of them. But outside of class, they were busy with their own activities. Tessa had joined the school newspaper committee, and had quickly risen to the chief editor of _The Institute Gazette_. She had spent several Thursday nights up in the computer lab, fixing the paper for the weekly edition that was released on Friday mornings. Will was on the swimming team, and with his scattered meets and practice times, they sometimes wound up spending days without talking.

But they found the time. One Saturday, both of them had separately escaped to the library, and they found each other in their corner. They were squeezed onto a bench, Tessa's head on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around hers. They were playing with each other's hands, talking as the snow fell outside the window, decorating the quad.

"Tess, did you know that Institute hosts a winter ball every year?"

"No, I didn't know that."

"Well, they usually host one the weekend after Christmas holidays. It can be lame, but I was wondering if you would like to go with me?"

Tessa looked up into his eyes, and grinned. "Of course I would. But the only thing on the back of my mind is if we go together, what are people going to think? We haven't told anyone about our relationship, and I don't think shocking them at the ball is a good idea."

Will pondered this for a second before he replied "We can tell our friends before the 're the only ones who matter. But we should start with Jem and Tori though. It might be easier to start with our roommates and work our way from there." Tessa nodded and rose to her feet. She held her hand out to him. "Let's go back to my room. Tori's out working on a economics presentation with Leo from Charlemagne house. She might be out for a while." He nodded and took her hand.

Once inside the room, they settled side by side onto Tessa's bed. Tessa picked up a _A Tale of Two Cities _ from her bedside and handed it to Will. "Could you read it out loud? We have to read this for European Lit anyways. " He smiled and took the book from her, opening up to where they had left off. "I have had the weakness and have still the weakness to wish you to know what a sudden mastery you kindled me-heap of ashes that I am..." and he read on, his voice rising and falling with the words of Sydney and Lucie. Tessa loved his voice. The night at the Underground had been different, his singing loud and playful. But his reading voice was where Tessa found peace. When he finished the chapter, Tessa leaned over and kissed him.

She didn't draw away quickly, kissing him more and more. He closed the book and set it carefully onto the bedside table. Tessa rolled over and crawled into his lap, and sat up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He leaned back on his hands and peered at her through his black locks. She let fingers trace his eyes, and those graceful cheekbones, finally letting them come to a rest on his lips. He couldn't take it anymore, and he leaned into kissed her, nearly devouring her mouth. He raised his arms to wrap them around her waist, but a moment of imbalance had them both crashing backwards against the pillows. Tessa rolled over again so that Will was propped over her, and she was under him, gazing into the marvels known as his eyes.

She set her hands under his shirt, tracing the edge of his spine and hardened muscles. He traced his hands down her sides, resting them at her waist, slowly tracing circles on her hip. Each kiss was filled with passion, and they were so absorbed in each other that they didn't hear the door opening.

They broke apart when they heard laughing. Tessa glanced over Will's shoulder and saw Tori, holding her computer and a stack of textbooks and Jem, holding the door open for her. She looked at them and turned to Jem. "Jem, it seems like I missed something when I was with Leo." By then he had come into the room, and was grinning at the heap of limbs on Tessa's bed. Tessa and Will both flushed, quickly sitting upright and straightening their clothes, all the while moving away from each other on the bed. Tori set her work on her desk and took a seat beside Will on the bed, and Jem followed suit, sitting next to Tessa. Tori wrapped an arm around Will's shoulders and leaned forward to look at Jem. "Aww, look James, they're blushing." He grinned, and nudged Tessa, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "Could you imagine the mental images that we'll have to deal with for the rest of our lives? replied Jem, as Victoria laughed again and gave him a high five under Will's and Tessa's lowered heads. . She spoke to them. "Is there something you guys would like to tell us?" Neither of them answered, staring at the floor in embarrassment. Tori leaned back on her hands, raising an eyebrow at the two of them.

"Honestly, guys, it's fine. But when I walk into my dorm and find two of my best friends making out, I would like an explanation for it."

Tessa looked up at her. "We're dating."

"For how long?"

"Since the break in November." Tori's mouth dropped open at that.

"You've been dating for a month and you didn't bother to tell anyone?"

"We didn't really know what to say" said Will, meeting Tori's gaze. She stood up and pursed her lips, trying not to laugh. "Well, I'm glad you two are finally together. But Tessa, next time you have Will in here, send me a text or something so I know not to come in." Tessa flushed even harder at this as Jem turned to Will and said "You too, mate. I still need my eyes to play the violin." Will threw a pillow at him. Jem ducked it and ran out of the room, laughing while an angry WIll chased him.

Tessa shut the door behind them. She turned and leaned against the door, looking at Tori.

"I thought you were in Charlemagne with Leo."

"I was. It turns out Leo did a lot of the research already, so we mostly had to put together the presentation. Jem saw me coming back with the books and computer in my hands, so he decided to help me."

"That explains it. I brought Will here because I thought you were going to be out for a while."

Tori nodded and Tessa sat next to her again.

"Well, embarrassments set aside, I'm really glad that you and Will are together. Truth be told, there's no one else I'd rather have him be with. Especially after his past disastrous relationships."

Tessa raised an eyebrow at this. Tori laughed.

"It's nothing you need to worry about. Those girls were truly awful, I don't know why Will dated them in the first place. Anyways, speaking of dates, has he asked you to the winter ball yet?" Tessa smiled. "Yeah, he actually asked me this afternoon." "That's excellent! We should go dress shopping next weekend. The ball may not be until after the holiday, but there won't be enough time to go shopping then." Tessa nodded and opened her math textbook. "Alright, sounds good to me."

* * *

**Gideon's POV **

He was sitting in the library, the reading lamp at his table flicked on. Sophie was sitting across from him, chewing on the end of her pencil as she worked through a physics calculation. GIdeon was supposed to be plowing through a reading on international relations, but having Sophie in the seat across from him was distracting. He was glad that his laptop covered most of his face, so he could observe Sophie quietly from his seat.

She had come into the library earlier that afternoon, looking to get some work done. She had found Gideon working on some calculus homework, and had come join him. They hadn't really spoken much, except when they took a twenty minute break to go grab some coffee. They had come back and absorbed themselves in their work. Well, at least Sophie dha. Gideon had spent the better part of his time looking at her.

She was dressed in an oversized sweatshirt and yoga pants. For once, she had tied her hair up into a messy bun, revealing the scar that ran across her forehead and temple. He had come to see Sophie as one with that scar. He had only known her for a short while before she got it. It had been strange, seeing her with it at first, but over the past few semesters, he gotten used to it. It always drew his attention to her eyes, which were green like his. _God. She's so pretty. And sweet. And gentle. And loving. _ Sophie looked up from her problem and saw him staring at her. She turned a deep shade of red, causing him to flush in return. _I don't blush. Ever. This is so embarrassing_. "Gideon, do I have something in my teeth? Because I swear, you've been looking at me for the past two hours. Don't tell me otherwise."

He smiled and shoved his laptop to the side, causing his papers to shift too. He leaned back in his seat, staring at her. "I could lie and tell you that I haven't been looking at you, but what can I say? You've been occupying my mental capacity for the better part of today." She smiled and rolled her eyes, closing her physics book. "Oh stop it." He rolled his eyes in return. "Sophie, I was wondering... Would you be interested in going to the winter ball with me?" Her eyes widened at this, and Gideon started spluttering, hoping to remedy his mistake before he could cause anymore damage.

"I..uhhh... it's cool if you don't want to go with me, or if you're already going with somebody else... I …" "Gideon, shut up." He did as he was told, staring down at his hands. Sophie shook her head and reached her hand across the table, lifting his chin up with her fingers. She looked him in the face. "I didn't say I wouldn't go with you. I would love to accompany you to the ball." His mouth slowly spread into a smile and he took Sophie's hand from under his chin, gently kissing it. "Sophie, I..." "Gideon, let's go get dinner. I'm famished." He nodded and stood up, leaving his work at the table. They stepped out into the cool winter air. Neither of them really felt the chill though as they made their way to the dining hall.

* * *

**Cecy's POV **

She was eating dinner in the main hall, all by herself. For absolutely no reason, she was completely drained of energy. She hadn't even been productive that day, neglecting all her homework and watching _Doctor Who_ on her computer. It was just one of those days when even getting out of bed was a chore. She picked at chicken parmesan. It was good, as was all Institute food, but she just wasn't hungry. She looked up when a tray appeared in the seat beside, and a body settled into the chair.

It was Mark. Mark was the pretty boy of the group, with blond hair and blue eyes, like a stereotypical German. She had never been attracted to him, but rather found a companion in him. Mark was Gideon's best friend, and was always up for a good prank or joke. Cecily herself being a wild one was glad for some company on this end.

She smiled at him. "Hey Mark. What's up?" "Nothing much. I just finished this nasty paper for my psychology class. I swear, I have got to start doing more schoolwork during the weekdays. These marathon homework sessions will be the death of me. I haven't eaten anything since breakfast." _Which explains why he has nearly a whole meat loaf on his plate. _ He shoveled into his dinner, eating it with fervor. "And then I have to go finish this paper on the history of the Nile for Monday's Civilizations class. It's times like these where I wish I went to any school besides Institute."

Cecy understood. She had had some awful nights with the workload, but in the end, she wouldn't trade Institute for any school in the world.

"Anyways, Cecy, I wanted to ask you something" said Mark, working his way through potatoes. "Chew and swallow Mark. I'm not going anywhere" she said. He followed her instructions and downed half a glass of water. "I wanted to ask you to come with me to the winter ball. I know you went with Jem last year, but I'm not dating Elizabeth anymore, and I would like to go with you, as a friend." Cecily thought this over. _I may have gone with Jem last year, but I'm almost sure he wouldn't mind if I went with Mark instead. Besides, I think he wasn't planning on going this year. Anyways, what's the harm in going with him as a friend? _"Sure, I'll go with you." She smiled at him, and he grinned around his dessert fork. "Excellent! I'm glad that went over well. Anyways, I better go finish that Nile paper. I wouldn't want to be tossed into the Thames because it's late." He stood to leave, tossing out his empty tray and leaving a bewildered Cecily behind.

* * *

**Jem's POV **

Jem was in the music room, hounding away at the violin. There was an international music competition coming up, and he really wanted to compete and win. The grand prize winner would get a chance to play in Carnegie Hall, and Jem dreamed of playing there one day. It was 11pm on a Saturday night, and his fingers had started to ache after three hours of continuous practice. He set the violin down, and drank some water from his water bottle. He went over the piano bench and sat down on it, lifting up the lid of the piano.

Whenever he needed a break from the violin, he came to the piano, and played something lightly until he felt he could concentrate on the violin again. Institute required that students learn to play at least two instruments for those planning to graduate with an Arts diploma and a concentration in music. Jem had decided to play the piano along with the violin, and he was glad he had, because he got a chance to play another beloved instrument. He was so focused on playing the piano that he didn't even realize when the door opened.

"I think that was supposed to be a F#, not a F." Jem looked up to find Sophia Chang smiling at him from across the room. Sophia was Chinese, like he was. She was pretty tall, and had thin black hair that reached past her shoulders. Her mother was British, as was Jem's father, so instead of inheriting the almond shaped eyes characteristic of many chinese, she had large brown ones, which suited her. He grinned at her. They had many classes together because they were both enrolled Arts/Music diploma program. She was a good friend; Sophia was dedicated to her work and he had even played a duet with her in last year's talent show.

"Hey Sophia. Thanks for the tip. What are you doing up so late anyways?" he asked, peering at her from around the piano. She was dressed in sweats and a tank top, a sweater thrown over it. "I wanted to grab some hot chocolate from the beverage bar. My room is so cold." She crossed the room as she spoke, coming to one side of the piano and setting her hot cocoa mug on the piano. She rested her elbows on the instrument. "What were you trying to play?" He picked up the sheet music and showed her. She smiled. 'Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. It's one of my favorites. Mind if I show you?" He scooted over, patting the seat beside him. "Not at all. Play away."

He loved her music. No matter what piece she played, she put her whole heart into it, and music showed it. He watched her fingers as they scaled the piano, awe in his face. When she was done, she looked up at him. "This was one of the first pieces I learned to play. It still takes my heart away." "I know what you mean. I feel like that about this Chopin piece that my father adopted for the violin. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard." "James, can I ask you something?" "Of course, Sophia." "I was wondering... would you be interested in going to the winter ball with me?" She whispered the words, staring at the piano keys while she spoke. Jem looked at his hands in lap. _Well this is an unexpected development. I hadn't even been planning on going. _

Sophia looked up, disappointment spreading across her face. "It's alright if you're already going with someone, I can go..."

"Sophia, I will most definitely go to the ball with you."

She looked up at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Would I lie about something like this?"

"I didn't know you were _capable_ of lying."

"All the more reason to trust me."

She patted his arm as she stood to go. "Thank you, Jem."

"Why are you thanking me? I really would like to go with you, don't think of it as a favor." She opened her mouth slightly, and flushed. "I should probably be going to bed. I have an early morning practice session with Ms. Schuyler ." Jem nodded in understanding. Their music teacher, Ms. Schuyler, was a great teacher, but she expected nothing but the best from her students, and being tired would not help Sophia's case at all.

"Alright, good night Sophia."

"Good night Jem." She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Jem spent a better portion of his night learning to play the Moonlight Sonata on the piano, committing it to memory.


	9. Uncovered

**Tori's POV**

The week had flown by, and before Tori knew it, it was Saturday again. Tori was excited to go shopping, and as a result, had gotten up early. By the time Tessa lugged herself out of bed, Tori was already ready, leaning against the pillows and playing a game on her laptop. She was dressed in a white sweater, dark blue jeans and black boots. The girls had gone down to breakfast together, where, for once, the table was already filled with the presence of Sophie, Cecy and the rest of the boys. She slid into an empty seat beside Gabriel, who kissed her on the cheek in greeting. "Good morning, my ray of sunshine."

Tori scowled at him. "Didn't I tell you _not_ to call me that?" "Oh, I remember. I just wanted to see how long it would take before you start swearing like a lorry driver." She shoved a bit of pancake into her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Will looked at them in amusement, and set his napkin down, having already eaten pancakes, bacon and eggs for breakfast. "What's the plan for today guys? It's the last weekend we have before the holiday" he said. Tori spoke up. "Tessa, Sophie, Cecy and I are going dress shopping." Jem leaned forward, a curious expression on his face. "Dress shopping? What for?" "For the winter ball" said Sophie, causing all the boys to simultaneously groan, and then speak in loud voices.

"Why do you have to buy them _now_?" asked Mark.

"Yeah, the ball isn't for another month!" exclaimed Gabriel.

"Can't you do that over the break?" asked Thomas.

"Because, like Will so clearly mentioned two minutes ago, this is the last weekend we have before the holidays. The ball happens on the first weekend after the break, and we don't have time during the weekdays to shop. And while Cecy may be able to buy her dress over the holiday drive it from the Herondale mansion to Institute and Sophie _could_ bring hers on the train from Yorkshire, Tessa and I have plane rides between here and Paris and New York. It would be inconvenient to bring the dresses back here. So, we have to do the shopping today. You boys are more than welcome to join us" finished Victoria, downing her orange juice.

"It would be one thing if it was just Tessa and Sophie, but with you and Cecy too? Not a chance" said Jem, which caused him to get pegged with a napkin by Cecy. The girls laughed, and rose to leave. "Whatever, we'll be back before dinner, at the latest" Tori said, slinging her arm around Cecily and walking away. Tessa and Sophie shrugged at each other, and after dashing off several hurried goodbyes to the boys, they raced along the main corridor to catch up with Victoria and Cecily.

Cecily had called for another personal driver for the day. He arrived a few minutes late in a smaller limo than the one they rode in to get to Pandemonium. Nonetheless, it was spacious. Each girl took a separate long seat and stretched their legs across it, discussing the plans for the day. "Alright, I was thinking that we could head to Oxford Street first and check out Selfridges. There's this gold gown that I saw in their display a few weeks ago and I've been dying to get my hands on it. And there was a blue dress that might suit you, Tessa. There are a couple of other shops on Oxford street that sells dresses, so we'll look into those too. Regardless of what we find, we'll take a lunch break at 1, and then head over to Westfield shopping center if needed. Between those two areas, we should be able to find something for each of us. Are we in agreement?" concluded Tori, who got understanding nods from the three girls. Tessa was unfamiliar with London, so she took Tori's word on the whole shopping situation.

* * *

**Back at the breakfast table...**

The boys watched the girls leave before they turned back to their own conversation about the ball. There were some mornings that the boys would just sit at the table and chat, long after they'd eaten. "They won't be back before dinner" said Will, leaning back in his chair.

Mark looked at him curiously. "Why do you care if they're out all day? They'll come back eventually, and we can always hang out with them tomorrow."

"I don't think it's _all_ of them Will wants" said Jem, grinning mysteriously at WIll.

"James, shut up."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow at Will. "No, go on Jem. Why would you say that?"

"Well, it all started at the beginning of term, when a certain _American_ joined our group." said Jem.

"James, I'm warning you..." said Will with a dangerous tone in his voice.

"You like Tessa Gray?" asked Gideon.

"He does more than just _like_ her, GIdeon" continued Jem.

Will decided he better speak up before James could cause any damage.

"I am... _catastrophically _ in love with Tessa Gray. We're dating" he blurted out in a rush of words.

Mark, Gabriel, Thomas and Gideon's jaws all dropped open, while Jem howled with laughter beside them. Their expressions were priceless, as were their reactions.

"_You're_ dating Tessa Gray?"

"Since when?"

Will rolled his eyes and said "We've been dating almost a month now. We're going to the ball together too. Speaking of, I wonder who Cecy and Sophie are going. Obviously, Tori's going with you Gabe."

At that, Mark grinned and Gideon flushed. Mark spoke for the two of them. "I'm taking Cecy and Gideon here finally worked up the nerve to ask Sophie" he said, thumping Gideon on the back. Gabriel looked at his brother in shock.

"Why am I just hearing about this?"

"Relax, Gabe. I only asked her a week ago. And besides, you didn't tell me you were dating Tori until two months afterwards, so I don't really see a problem here." replied Gideon.

Will turned to Mark. "You're taking my sister?"

Mark had the grace to look sheepish. "As a friend, which I clearly explained to her. It'll be fun."

Will scowled at him. "Just be careful" He turned to Jem, who was silently smiling. "You know, James, you haven't really said much about the ball. Are you going?"

"I am"

"And with whom, might I ask?"

"Sophia Chang. She asked me last week."

Will gaped at him. "The asian?"

Jem rolled his eyes at him. "Obviously. How many non-asian Sophia Changs do you know?"

"That must've been one hot practice session"

Jem threw a napkin at Will. He laughed and batted it away. Jem looked at Thomas, who was extremely silent, but he knew why.

'Thomas, what about you?" he asked gently. "What are you doing about the ball?"

He gulped, and straightened up in his seat. He may have come out of the closet at the start of term, but only the boys seated at the table knew. He hadn't even told the girls. He wasn't really sure why. He knew that they would accept him and treat him the same. But he didn't want to come out in front of the whole school either. So his options were to either suck it up and ask a girl for the sake of it, or not go. So far, the second option seemed more likely.

"I think I'm going to skip this one. I had fun going with Sophie last year, but I could use a break. I'll find something to do, don't worry about me."

Gabriel shook his head. Being roommates had made the two boys best friends, and Gabe was concerned for Thomas.

"Tom, it's fine if you don't want to come to the ball. We aren't going to pressure you, so you work at your own pace. But I think you should at least tell the girls soon. They care too."

"I know, Gabe. And I will tell them. They have given me no reason to doubt them." He smiled and stood up, not wanting to talk about it anymore. "Are we going to sit here all day? Or are we going to go sledding?" The other boys got up too, and they made their way out into the beautiful London day.

* * *

**Tessa's POV**

They spent the better part of the morning in Selfridges, trying on not only dresses, but also shirts, pants and casual dresses. Tori had tried on the gold gown, but didn't seem to like very much. She came out of the dressing room in a shimmer of gold. Unfortunately, she also left a wake of glitter in her path, and the dress made her look disproportionate. However, she fell in love with a deep purple strapless gown, that was ruched at the chest and had an empire waist. She bought the dress right away, and watched as Tessa tried on the turquoise blue dress that Tori recommended. It was also strapless, but it was simpler than Tori's dress which was shimmery and beaded. When she came out of the dressing room, Tessa twirled once as she showed the dress of. "It's beautiful Tessa, you have to buy it" said Sophie. "You should listen to Sophie, Tessa. Besides, I think Will would like it too."

Sophie and Cecy turned to Tori, who was being glared at by Tessa. "Will? As in my brother? What does he have to do with Tessa?" asked Cecily. Tori grinned gleefully and called out "He's Tessa's _boyyyyyyfffffriend_" as she pranced around the room. "Of course he's gonna care what she looks like."

"Tori, I'm going to kill you."

"Hey, no harm no foul Tessa."

Cecy stared at her in shock. "You're dating Will?" Tessa nodded meekly, her pale face now very red. "Well, at least he picked a good girl this time" she said, shrugging and sitting back down.

Tori raced over to Cecily's seat, kneeling beside it. "Cecy, who are you going with, for the record?"

"I'm going with Mark. He asked me to accompany him, so I figured ehh, why not."

"And what about you, Sophie?" asked Victoria.

She flushed before she stammered out "Gideon Lightwood".

Cecy and Tori gave each other a knowing look, and Tessa said "Awwwwwww! Sophie! That's so sweet. When did he ask you?"

"Last week, when we were studying together."

"You guys are so cute."

"Tessa, we're not dating!"

"You could, you never know."

Sophie smiled and rolled her eyes, changing the subject. "I think you should buy that dress. It looks really pretty on you." Tessa nodded and slipped back into the changing room to put on her clothes. She came out to hear the girls still discussing dates. "Wait, if we all already have dates, then who on earth is Jem going with? He told me that he had a date, but I figured that he might be going with you, Cecy. But you're going with Mark" said Victoria, a huge dress bag in her lap. "I didn't know he was planning on going. I wonder who he's taking." replied Cecy. Sophie was leaning forward in her chair, elbows on her knees, her hands supporting her head. "And Thomas too. Do any of you guys know whom he's going with? Or if he's going at all, for that matter?" The other three shook their heads no. Tori stood, making her way out of the dressing room. "Well, we'll ask them when we get back. Let's go ring your dress up, Tessa." She nodded. "Well, if it isn't the slut-show and her minions."

All four of the girls whirled around to find Jessamine Lovelace standing in line behind them, a dress in her hand and two girls behind her. Victoria shoved her dress in Cecy's arms and walked right up to Jessie.

"I'm surprised to find you here, Jessie. Haven't you heard? Selfridges is for people with class, not the scum on the bottom of my shoe."

Jessie matched Tori's glare. "Well, how would you know what class is Tori? You have none."

Tori looked at the dress in Jessie's arms, a white number which was extremely short and deeply cut. "You're planning on wearing this to the ball? And I'm the slut-show here with no class."

Tori turned to face her friends, who were anxiously staring at her, having already paid for Tessa's dress. Cecily put her head in her hands and grabbed Tori by the hand, hissing in her ear and dragging her out of Selfridges. Tessa and Sophie scrambled to follow and they launched themselves into the limo, where the other two were already sitting, Victoria fuming.

"I hate that girl with every fiber of my being. Would it be so hard for her leave us alone?" she said. Cecy handed Victoria some hot liquid and told her drink it, trying to calm her down. "Ignore her, Tori. She's not worth your energy or time." Tessa nodded in agreement. "Cecy's right. Don't ruin your good mood with her sour expressions. Besides, it's not like anyone likes her anyways."

Victoria sipped the drink and set it into the cup holder. She looked out the window and leaned her temple against it. "I guess you guys are right. There's no point in ruining a good day. Anyways, let's get going, Sophie and Cecy still need to find dresses."

* * *

Sophie and Cecy had found their dress in the next shop. Sophie had picked out an emerald dress that had one strap going across her chest and left shoulder. Cecily had found a dress that was a cobalt blue that matched her eyes and was deeply cut in the back. They found the dresses right before lunch time, and deciding that they didn't want to go back to Institute afterwards, they decided to go Christmas shopping. Tessa had managed to find presents for her family, Will, Chris and her friends. It took up the greater part of the afternoon, and by the time they had loaded all of their purchases into the limo at about six o'clock, the girls were exhausted. They had catnapped on the way back, snoozing in their respective seats.

Lugging the things back into Institute had been a pain. Each girl had about 6 bags in each hand, and luckily for them, their dorm was on the other of campus. It would be quicker to cut across campus, which is exactly what the girls did. Unfortunately, this path took them outside, and by the time they had entered the ground floor of the dorm, they were covered in snowflakes.

They had entered into the common room, where the boys were settled on the sofas and floor, playing video games. They looked up when they heard the door opening.

"Hey, you're back!" cried Will, leaping to his feet. How was your shopping trip?

"Successful. You will be proud to know that the four of you lucky things who are taking us to the ball are going to be escorting the four most beautiful girls in all of Institute" said Cecily with a fake, snotty tone. Her tone caused the other girls to burst into giggles. Will had walked over to Tessa, and was trying to peek into her dress bag. She batted his hand away

"No, William. You can see it on the day of the ball."

His face fell slightly. "I need to see it."

"How come?" asked Tessa.

"Because I want to match my girlfriend."

She flushed at this, but then remembered that the girls knew, and judging by Will's tone, the boys knew too. She shook her head.

"I'll show you the color later. That's all you need. Now if you don't mind, I have about fifty pounds of _stuff_ that I need to unload, so I would appreciate it if I could go to my room"

"Allow me," he said, taking all of the things from Tessa's arms and walking out of the room and up the staircase. She shook her and smiled, hurrying to follow him.

Victoria sat on the arm of Gabriel's chair, who wrapped an arm around her waist. "I swear, she has him wrapped around her little finger" she said.

"He looks at her like she's the only star in the sky" said Jem, frowning at the television screen. "Damn it!" he shouted, tossing his controller onto the floor and looking at Mark. "It looks like you've won, again." Mark jumped up and put his hands out in victory, cheering at the top of his lungs. Everyone laughed, the giddiness of the holidays settling onto them like the snow falling outside.


	10. The Frost of Hell

**I literally cannot believe how long this chapter turned out to be. I wanted to add even ****_more_**** stuff, but it was getting long and besides, I wanted to update before I went on my trip (which includes college visits. =/) It's mostly fluff, but I hope you enjoy it .**

** Bow down to me peasants: Oh my. Did you get in a lot of trouble? Btw, I glad you liked it.**

* * *

**Tessa's POV**

Tessa was walking through the terminal of JFK, lugging a carry-on bag behind her and a small purse on her shoulder. Classes had ended the evening before, and Tessa had had to scramble to pack her belongings for her three week trip back home. It felt good to be back, even if she was still in the airport. She looked for her parents in the throng of people waiting for their own visitors. She scanned the crowd a hundred times, not catching a glimpse of her father's tall stature or her mother's brown hair. She figured she should call them when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She whirled around to find a grinning Chris behind her. Tessa dropped her bags and leaped into his arms, screeching. "Oh my goodness, Chris! It's been ages!" He laughed and set her down gently. "Jesus, Tessa, you've been in England for four months and already you've picked up an accent." She grinned and punched him lightly in the chest. "Oh, stop it." He picked up her one of her dropped bags and slung his free arm around her shoulder, leading her out of the airport. "I know you were expecting your parents, but they decided yesterday that they wanted to pay a visit to Brown and pick up Nate. They should've been back two hours ago, but apparently there's a nasty storm out in Connecticut holding them up. So they called home and asked if me and dad could pick you up" he said in a rush. They had reached the limo that was parked along the edge of the terminal. Chris's dad, Robert Montgomery, was leaning against the door. His mouth spread into a smile when he saw Chris with Tessa.

"Tessa!" he cried, enveloping her in a bear hug. Tessa returned the hug, but she was left breathless afterwards. "Hey Rob. Thanks for the ride home" she said, slipping into the back of the limo. He waved away her gratitude. "Tessa, don't embarrass me. We're practically family. But you need to tell me about your time in London. And please tell me you've been on the London Eye. You can't be in London and not go to the London Eye." Tessa smiled, lapsing into her memories. "I did go on it. You should the view from the top at night though, it's amazing" she said, chattering away about the beauties of England.

* * *

**Will's POV**

The Herondale mansion was one of Will's least favorite places in the world. He clenched his hand tightly around the handle of his bag as he and Cecily stepped out of the limo. Their eyes met for a moment, and they conversed silently, praying that the house would be empty. They stepped through the main entrance, which was occupied with a Christmas Tree and white adornments. The entire house was lit up with the festive decorations, and there was a burning smell coming from the kitchen. Will rolled his eyes and dropped his bags, and made his way into the kitchen, with Cecily close on his heels.

They pushed open the door to discover that Bridget, the cook, was trying to salvage a batch of cookies that looked more black than brown. "Bridget, what on earth?" cried Cecily, opening the trash bin. "Miss Cecily and Master Will, you're home!" she said, slightly shocked. She tossed the cookies out, and wiped her hands on her apron. "I shall go inform your parents that you have arrived." She dashed out of the room.

The two siblings began rummaging through the shelves, suddenly famished. They were interrupted by their mother, Linette, as she swept her way into the room. "Children, you're home!" she cried, grabbing each child in a bear hug. Will sighed and pressed his head into her shoulder, holding her tightly. "It's good to see you, Mum" he said. "Will, you are in desperate need of a haircut" she continued, ruffling his hair. He scowled and slipped out of her grasp, peering around her shoulder. "Mum, where's Dad?" Her face dropped slightly. Edmund Herondale was not the favored member of the household. "Your father is out on business, but he should be returning shortly" she said curtly.

Will nodded, and plastered a smile on his face to lighten the mood. "Mom, I haven't told you yet, but I'm dating this amazing girl at school."

"That's exciting! Do I get to know who this girl is?" Linette said, walking with her children into the den at the back of the house.

"Her name's Tessa, who also happens to be _one of my friends_" Cecily said pointedly, throwing herself onto a couch.

"She joined Institute this year, and she's from America. Mum, she loves books." said Will, his voicing rising in content.

"It sickens me. I don't understand how the two of you can memorize the garbage from the 1800s. Blegh." This comment from Cecily caused her to get hit in the face with a pillow by Will.

Linette laughed. "Well, William, I'm glad that you've found someone. Speaking of Institute, how have your marks been?"

Cecily gulped and had opened her mouth to answer when the door to the room burst inward, revealing Edmund Herondale in the doorway.

His shirt was askew and his hair untidy, as if he hadn't combed it in weeks. He held a bottle in one hand and his pale blue eyes burned with anger.

"Linette, didn't I tell you to get more of that vodka that I like? I can't find it anywhere!"

Will could feel his mother shaking slightly next to him. He took her hand in his while she answered Edmund's question.

"I sent the driver out to buy some, Edmund. He should be back soon."

"He better be." shouted Edmund, who threw his empty bottle onto the ground with such a force that it shattered into a thousand pieces. Cecily backed into the corner of the couch, her eyes wide in fear and her hand over the mouth. Edmund made his way out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Linette kneeled onto the floor, and using a napkin, began to sweep the broken bits of glass into a heap. Will knelt by his mom's side, looking at the floor.

"He's gotten worse since this summer, Mum. Every time I've called home, you've been lying. Saying that he's been getting better. Where were you guys really during the November holiday?"

She sat back on her heels, looking into her son's face. "We really were in Belarus for business, but your father got into some legal trouble while we were there and it took several extra days to sort out."

Cecily had joined them on the floor by then. "Mum, Dad got arrested in a foreign country, and you didn't bother to tell us?"

Linette smiled sadly at her children. "What good would it have done, to worry the both of you?"

Will was angry. His mother was nothing but good. Edmund didn't deserve her. "Mum, if you don't tell us when things like this happen. how on earth are going to help you?"

"Will, do not worry. We'll get through this." Linette pulled her kids into her embrace, a head on each shoulder of her shoulders. They clung to each other as if their lives depended on it.

* * *

**Victoria's POV**

Victoria leaned against the frame of the rolled down window of the cab. Paris was chilly during the winters, but she didn't really care. Her insides were already icy with dread, so why not let her body match?

The Charles de Gaulle airport was close to her aunt's place. Aunt Rose lived in a beautiful house in the 16th arrondissement. Victoria was deposited on the front steps of the mansion. Lugging her suitcase behind her, she made her way into the main foyer.

She was greeted by a dark room and silence. Sighing, she tossed her bag aside, and looked at the table, where there was a note in French with her name scrawled across the top. "_Victoria, we have gone out to eat. We should be back at about 10. Sorry_."

She sighed and tossed the note aside too. She made her way up the winding staircase, leaving her bags at the entrance. She wasn't really surprised. After all, Aunt Rose and her family hated her. But she had hoped that Grandmere would've greeted her. Victoria pried open the door to the room that was supposedly hers, but usually filled with her cousin's junk. She flicked on the light, and was pleased to see that the small room was clean. The bed was neatly made, and the vanity and desk were free of debris. There was a small tray with what looked like hot chocolate and a covered plate of food. There was a note resting on top.

"_Victoria, I hope that you trip went well. I will see you as soon as I get back from Marseilles tomorrow morning. The others should be at home. Sleep well. With love, Grandmere_. "

Victoria held the note tightly to her chest. So that's where grandmere was. Victoria leaned back against the pillows and fell asleep, clutching the note in her vice -like grip.

She was woken by a fall of freezing water. Victoria screamed and scrambled to her feet. Her cousins Arabella and Renee stood next to her, an empty steel pail lying on the floor between them. "What is the matter with the two of you?" cried Victoria, her hair and red sweater now dripping in the water. Arabella gave her a smug shrug. "Maman asked us to wake you. We figured this would be easiest."

Victoria glanced at the clock and then glared at her cousins. "Bella, what was so important that you had to wake me at _eight o'clock_?"

"Maman wants everyone downstairs to greet grandmere. She should be back any minute now." said Renee.

Victoria slumped onto her soaking bed. "Tell Aunt Rose I'll be downstairs in a minute, once I've determined that I don't have hypothermia."

Her cousins nodded and picked their way out of the room. Victoria slammed the door shut behind them.

Bella was 18, and Renee 20. Living with them before Institute had been hell. Victoria had been blamed for every little thing, from the dog's haircuts to the ruined school books. It was only grandmere's eagle-eyes that allowed her to escape most punishments. Irritated, she dried her hair roughly on a towel, and changed into a dark blue sweater. Victoria had just reached the bottom of the stairs when Grandmere came into the foyer.

"Grandmere!" she cried, launching herself into the old woman's arms. Grandmere may be near 80, but she had the energy of a 20 year old. "Victoire! How lovely to see you! After so many months!" she said in rapid French. The rest of the family slowly started trickling in, Aunt Rose, followed by Arabella and Renee, and lastly, Uncle Antoine. They greeted Grandmere and gathered around the breakfast table. It was a grand affair, with all sorts of food set out.

Afterwards, Aunt Rose pulled Victoria aside and reminded her that the household's annual Christmas party was to happen that evening, and Victoria's presence was required. Ugh. It would be nothing like the parties she went to at Institute, but she consented, only because grandmere would've insisted on company.

She spent the rest of the day wandering about the house, unpacking her own things and then helped grandmere, who had actually been in Marseille for the past several weeks. Victoria grinned upon hearing this. Good. At least she had gotten out of the wretched household.

By the time evening had arrived, the house had been transformed into a flaky, toasty wonderland. Victoria came into the party a little later, when most of the guests had already arrived. She was wearing a deep blue sparkly dress, that was form-fitting and long sleeved, topped off with a plunging neckline and a hem that reached halfway down her thighs. She hardly knew anybody. There were little kids, running around and screaming to each other. There were also plenty of adults, who milling around and idly chatting with each other.

She went up to a table scattered with drinks, and picked up a champagne glass. She took a sip and then set it down, disgust plastered on her face. "I wouldn't have recommended that one. The pale pinks are usually okay." This comment came from a boy, who had approached Victoria at the drinks table. He was plenty cute, with dark brown locks and slate gray eyes. "Thanks for the warning" Victoria said, slightly annoyed.

He held his hand out. "I'm Jacques, Jacques Moreau."

She eyed it warily at shook his hand tentatively. "I'm Victoria, Victoria Monteclair."

"Pleased to meet you, ." Jacques said, handing her one of the pink drinks.

She sipped it tentatively. "Better?" he asked. "Better. Thank you." replied Victoria.

He held his hand out to her. 'Care to dance, Victoria?"

She nodded and took it again. The music was quieter, more waltz-like than anything. The matching slow dance gave them both plenty of time to talk. Jacques was good company, what with his manners and good humor. But then things started to come crashing down.

"Jacques, how did you get invited to this anyways?" she asked, still slowly revolving.

"By Arabella. We're classmates. Although why she invited me, I'm still trying to process through. She said there would be other kids from University too, so you can imagine my surprise when I got here and there was no one else I knew. You have been good company though, Victoria"

He twirled her once and took her gently by the waist. Victoria peered over his shoulder and saw Arabella leaning against the wall next to Renee, both of them staring daggers at Victoria. She gulped. She slowly began to put the pieces together. Arabella must have invited Jacques because she had a..._fondness_ for him. Of course she would be mad at Victoria for spending half the evening with him. Victoria walked away from the dance floor and sat down at the table where she had tossed her shoes and bag. Jacques followed her, with a frown on his face. He knelt down beside her.

"Victoria, is everything alright?"

"I'm fine, it's just that-"

She was cut short by a buzzing from Jacques' phone. It was lying face down on the table, and he picked it up impatiently. Victoria could see the photo projected onto the screen. And judging by the scampering of the crowd around her, everyone else could see the photo on their phones too. It was her, from that disastrous night in Pandemonium during Year 9. Dancing on a tabletop. That night when Jessamine abandoned her. Victoria felt the blood pounding through her brain, trying to make sense of how this was even possible. She glanced up to find Arabella and Renee leaning against the wall, trying not to laugh.

Of course they would be behind this. It wasn't even important how they got the photo, but they had spammed it out, humiliating her in front of everyone. She didn't respond to Jacques calling her name as she grabbed her shoes and bag and made her way upstairs to her room, blocking out everything. She closed the door behind her and tossed her shoes into a corner. She struggled to open her bag, pulling out her phone. She hastily dialed a number, praying he would pick up. He did.

"Hello?"

"Gabe, it's me Victoria."

"Hey Tori, listen, I really want to talk, but now is a really bad time. Can I call you in the morning?"

Victoria was surprised, Gabriel always had time for her. She nodded before she remembered he couldn't see her. "Yeah, Gabe." "Thanks, Tori." The call disconnected, and Victoria chucked the phone onto her dresser before she turned into the pillows and began to cry.

She sobbed into the pillow, awful choking noises coming from her mouth. She knew it was a silly thing to cry over. After all, she had been humiliated in even worse ways. But this wasn't fair, because she hadn't even done anything to deserve it. She was sobbing so hard that she hadn't even noticed when Grandmere made her way into the room.

She sat down beside Victoria on the bed and rested her hand on her arm. Victoria looked up over her folded arm, and sat up, hastily wiping her face. Grandmere pulled Victoria's hair out of her face, smoothing it down her back. "It's okay. It's okay" she murmured. Victoria put her head in her lap. "Grandmere, I don't even know what I've done to Bella and Renee."

"Hush, _ma cherie_, they are jealous. Even with Rosie as their mother, they didn't inherit our family beauty. They are dull, and spiteful because everytime you walk into a room, everyone stops to glance at you. I noticed the boy you were talking to. Arabella's been after him for months. Poor boy."

Victoria picked at a loose thread on her grandmother's dress. "Grandmere, I promise you, the minute I turn 18, and the bank accounts are opened again, I'm going to buy a nice house in London, where you and I can live together. I'll start up Monteclair Industries again with your help. We don't need anybody else."

Grandmere stroked her hair. "That sounds like a fine idea. Now go to sleep. Things will be better in the morning." Victoria nodded and put her head back onto the pillow, not bothering to change out of the dress.

* * *

**Lightwood Residence**

Gideon heard his little brother before he saw him. "Tori, can I call you tomorrow morning?" A pause. "Thanks." Gabriel was tucking his phone into his pajama pants as he entered his brother's room. Gideon was an organizational freak, and the room was uncomfortably clean for Gabriel's taste. He flung himself onto the bed, stomach down, where Gideon was propped against the pillows, reading a magazine. Gabriel plucked it out of his hands and flipped to the cover.

"_The Economist_? Really Gideon? You can catch up on business when the semester starts up again" Gabriel said, tossing the magazine onto the desk. Gideon sighed and put a pillow into his lap. "Were you talking to Tori before you came here?"

"She had just called. I'm not really in the mood to talk to her, so I made up and excuse and told her I'd call tomorrow" said Gabriel, picking at the comforter.

"Gabriel, you shouldn't have lied to her."

"I know Gideon, but I need a little time away from her. She's great, but I think some space would be healthy for us."

Gideon raised an eyebrow. "Is something the matter? Did you two fight?"

"No, we didn't fight" Gabriel said irritably. "Besides, what's going on between you and Sophie?"

Now it was Gideon's turn to start picking at the comforter. "There's nothing going on, which is precisely the problem. I think I'm in love with her, Gabe. She makes me laugh and even though her very presence unnerves me, I need to be around her to make me feel whole. I'm hoping asking her to the ball will be a step in the right direction."

Gabriel looked at his brother's face. "Gideon, it is. I know you prefer to take your time with things, but I think this is one time you shouldn't wait. Tell her how you feel at the ball. Although, I'm pretty sure she's caught on by now."

Gideon flushed and stammered out "You-you think so?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Gideon, I think the entire student body knows. You're practically drooling every time she's around."

"I don't drool!"

"Just a little."

"Wait, if she knows that I like her, then why hasn't she said anything about it yet?"

Gabriel shrugged. "Who knows. She's a girl. Maybe she's trying to work out she feels."

Gideon stared at his bedside table, where there was a photo of him, Gabriel, their father and their mother. Before she had died, when he and Gabriel were 10 and 9.

"Alright, I'll tell her."

Gabriel patted his brother's shoulder. "Good. Now I'm going to go to bed. Father's probably going to be back late. And tomorrow's Christmas too."

"Good night. And Gabe?"

"Yes, Gideon?"

"Fix whatever's going on between you and Tori. She acts like she's tough, but I know she really needs you."

Gabriel nodded. "I'll call her first thing in the morning. Good night."

* * *

**Jem's POV**

Christmas day had gone by uneventfully. His father had been at home for the morning festivities, but had to rush to the hospital in the afternoon to deal with and\ emergency. Jem had his head on his mom's shoulder, feet stretched out beside him. They were supposedly watching a film in Chinese, but neither was really paying attention to it as they spoke in Mandarin. Jem's mom had insisted on teaching him both English and Mandarin and as a result, by the time he was five, Jem was speaking in both languages.

"_Jian_, your hands are so worn down. I know you love to play the violin, but you should take a break too. And you've gotten so skinny. Are you eating properly?"

"Mum! Of course I am. You know the deadline for that competition is in six weeks. That piece needs to be perfect by then. Even with Sophia's help, it's coming along a bit slowly."

"Sophia? Who is Sophia?"

Jem flushed slightly, although he didn't really understand why. Sophia was a friend,yes, but nothing beyond that. "She's a friend from my music classes. She's been giving me a hand with the violin."

His mother, Wen Yu, nodded, but smiled slightly to herself. She had felt the heat of James' blush through the material on her shoulder.

"Speaking of friends,we must have the Herondales over for dinner before you kids head back to school. There's this excellent duck recipe that I've meaning to try out."

Jem laughed. "Mum, perhaps serving duck when _Will_ is at dinner is a bad idea. Maybe we could try beef instead?"

"Oh, you're right. I completely forgot. That boy could never get over his fear of ducks. Beef it is then."

Jem smiled and pulled a blanket over himself. Will, who was as good as any blood brother. He loved his parents' company, but sometimes he wished that he had had a sibling. Jem closed his eyes and drifted off, his mind clouded with the melodies of China.

* * *

**Tessa's POV**

The holiday could not have been any better. Tessa was really happy to see Nate and her parents once they made their way back to Manhattan. Christmas morning had been a quiet affair in the Gray residence, graced with the presence of the Montgomerys. Nate, like Tessa, didn't have many friends in Manhattan, which often left him tagging along with Tessa and Chris on their excursions. But she didn't really mind. It was almost like old times, when the three of them would roam 5th Avenue and window shop, or go sledding down the hill in Central Park. Sometimes they would trek to Little Italy, where that little shop on the corner of Mulberry Street sold Tessa's favorite cannolis.

But of course, she still kept in touch with her friends in Europe. One night, she decided to video chat with Will, whom she was missing quite badly. He was as goofy as always, showing her a new dance move that he picked up at the Underground on his latest expedition. Except he couldn't do it quite right, so he kept falling over and crashing into the wall. She was sitting on her bed, laughing so hard tears were rolling down her face. "Will, stop it. It's beginning to hurt. Stop being so silly." He grinned up from his position on the floor, and leaped back into his desk chair, spinning in front of the camera. At just that moment, Tessa's door burst open, letting in Chris and Nate.

"Ohhh, Will, stop it, that hurts" said Nate, trying to imitate Tessa's tone and failing miserably. Chris laughed loudly, and Tessa buried her head into her hands, groaning. "Guys, what are you doing here? Especially you Chris. I thought you were going to the benefit with Rob." she said from between her hands.

Each boy took a seat on either side of her, leaning into the range of the camera. "I didn't feel like it. Anyways, we wanted to see if you would play videogames with us, but clearly you're too busy with something else" said Chris, wiggling his eyebrows at Will, who seemed to be taking this turn of events calmly.

"Tessa, who are these peasants?" asked Will with humor.

Nate feigned a shocked gasp and covered his mouth with his hands. "Peasants? How dare you?"

" I am the great William Herondale, Tessa's knight in shining armor."

"More like court jester in a clown suit" she said bitterly, her face still covered by her hands. "You know, maybe I should call Tori instead. I haven't spoken to her since that disastrous Christmas party."

"What disaster? At what party?" asked Will with concern.

Tessa waved him of.. "It's an awful joke from her cousins. Poor thing's recouping, but she'll be alright."

"Who's Tori? Is she hot?" asked Chris a little too innocently, causing him to get hit across the back head by Tessa.

"She's way above your standards, Montgomery, and besides, she has a boyfriend."

"Shoot. I prefer my women single, thank you very much."

Tessa hit him on the head again, for good measure.

This caused Will and Nate to laugh, and Chris to put a scowl on his face. "Tera, you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend" he said, nudging Tessa with his shoulder. "Yeah, you didn't tell me for that matter either. How come? And do mom and dad know about this?" asked Nate.

Before Tessa could answer, Will spoke up, noticing something bronze gleaming on Tessa's wrist. "Tess, where did you get that bracelet from?" Tessa uncovered her face, and stared at her bracelet. Suddenly, it was just her and Will in the room.

"Will, you lunatic, you gave this to me. For Christmas."

"Oh, is that I put in the box? I forgot." But his face gave away to the hours that he spent looking for it. The minute he saw the thin, bronze band with a single circular charm, showing an open book, he knew he needed to give it to Tessa."Did you like it?"

"It's beautiful, Will. Like you"

He gazed at her through the screen. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep."

"The more I give thee, the more I have, For both are infinite" finished Tessa. A habit that made them both smile, but made Nate to feign puking beside her. "Alright, you guys are beginning to gross me out."

His comment caused Tessa to temporarily break her gaze from Will and glare at her brother. "Alright, that's it. Both of you get out." She pushed them off her bed and shoved them towards the door. "What have I done, Tera, I haven't said a word" said Chris innocently. She gave him a sweet smile. "Good bye, guys." And she neatly shut the door in their faces. She leaped onto her bed, staring back at the computer.

She chatted with Will for a little while longer, before exhaustion took over and she fell asleep in front of the camera. Will laughed when he saw her snoozing and whispered "Good night", before he closed his laptop, closing the distance between them.

* * *

**And that's a wrap. The next chapter's going to be the ball. I need to decide how far I want to take Wessa. ;)**


	11. Never Told You

**Alright, so here's Chapter 10! I also want to thank you guys for the reviews and follows and favorites too! I wasn't expecting such a positive response to that last chapter.**

**On another note, who here has seen the City of Bones movie? I am still yet to see it. I was kind of annoyed that they didn't do a midnight premiere for the movie in my town (not that I could've gone). They made such such a big deal about Twilight and Hunger Games (but I do love the Hunger Games. Waiting until November for Catching Fire is going to kill me). *sigh* **

** Bow down to me peasants: From this, we deduce the first rule of being on : DON'T LET YOUR PARENTS KNOW ABOUT IT**

** Kylie Smith 2: I apologize for any confusion, but I don't plan on splitting Wessa up at any point during this story, or in other future stories. I have them lined up to deal with a tragedy in the next story, but that's about as depressing Wessa's going to be. (That was major spoilery, sorry!)**

** AyRayKay: I read your review at 2 in the morning and I nearly shouted. I don't think my family would've appreciated the screaming at that hour, but I did love your review! **

* * *

Before Tessa realized it, she was back at Institute, the Christmas holidays having flown by. She wouldn't be going back home to New York until the end of term in June. It was longer than the time between fall term and Christmas break, but Tessa didn't feel it. Probably because she knew what to expect when she went London this time.

Classes resumed on a Wednesday morning, for some odd reason, and not willing to part from her family, Tessa had booked the latest possible flight on Tuesday afternoon to London. The goodbyes were tearful; Tessa and her mom were crying into each other's shoulders before she went through security, and even Chris, who had stepped out of school early to drop her off, had tears in his eyes as he hugged her.

The next two days flew by, with Tessa walking through her classes in a robotic fashion, jet lag taking her over. She was more awake by Saturday, which coincidently was the day of the ball. Tessa was excited; the event was supposed to be a grand affair. She spent the morning doing homework, and in mid-afternoon, she was lugged out of the library by Tori and Cecy, who claimed that they needed to start getting ready.

Tessa was exasperated. "Guys, do we really need _four hours_ to get ready? Seems like a lot for a dress, hair and makeup, don't you think?"

Cecily sighed as they entered Tori's and Tessa's room. Sophie was already seated in the vanity chair, waiting for them to return. "Tessa, I don't think you understand how much time people put into this ball. Besides, we have to do our nails too, and that can take a while too." said Sophie, rising to her feet.

She was right, the process was arduous. At one point, Tessa made the mistake of mentioning that she didn't know how to ballroom dance, which caused Cecily and Victoria to go into hysterics, scrambling to teach her a few steps whenever they had a moment. Apparently, everyone took a day long class during First Form on ballroom dancing, something that Tessa had never really needed. She might've learned, if she'd spared even a moment of thought for making her debut back in New York, but her mother had never pushed her to attend. That was one thing that Tessa loved about her mother. They may belong in the Upper East Side, but she never forced Tessa to attend the society events that bored her to tears.

At one point, Sophie was trying to teach Tessa how to twirl properly when they heard a knock on the door. Victoria flung it open to reveal Will, who was standing in the doorway with a look of amusement on his face. He held out a paper tray which held four cups of coffee. "Here, Thomas went out and picked up coffee for all of us." Victoria took the tray from him, one hand on the door. Will peered around her and saw Tessa in spandex shorts and a sweatshirt, her hand in Sophie's. She flushed at the sight of him, and Cecily, who was seated on Tessa's bed, waved at her brother. "Good-bye Will." Victoria shut the door, leaning against it and gorging down half of one cup.

"Bless Thomas. Institute sets out a rule that students who are attending can't leave a few hours before the ball and that they have to stay through the night. Apparently, someone died from a drunk driving after the ball a few years ago" said Victoria, tossing her empty cup into the trash by the door.

Tessa shuddered and sat down at the vanity, examining her newly painted nails. They were dry, and she turned to Sophie. "Help me do my hair. It's going to take a bit of time to tame my bush." Sophie laughed and slowly transformed Tessa. She got ready herself afterwards, and all four girls were finally ready a little before seven. Tessa looked at herself in the mirror, wondering who was this creature in front of it. The dress was long, and trailed slightly on the floor. Sophie had put her hair in an elaborate knot, and lined it with a jeweled headband. She had left a few strands loose, framing Tessa's face.

The other girls stood around her, admiring themselves in the mirror. Cecy in deep blue, Victoria in purple and Sophie in a dark green that matched her eyes. Cecily wrapped her arms around the girls' shoulders and smiled. "Aww, guys, we look fantastic. We'd better get going though, the boys will be waiting for us."

They nodded in response and made their way out of the room, chattering about the food that was to be served. They had nearly made it out of the dorm when she remembered that she had left her phone in her room. "Guys, I left my phone in my room. I'm going to go and get it, don't bother waiting for me. I'll meet you at the table." They nodded and Tessa scrambled back, stuffing her phone into her purse and making her way to the main entrance, where she was to meet Will.

Tessa fumbled with her hands as she made her way down the corridor. This would be the first time she and Will were making a public appearance together, and she wasn't sure what the reaction would be. Will had even been asked by several girls to accompany them to the ball, but he had deftly told them no. As Tessa reached the stairs at the top of the main corridor, she felt a gust of wind blow by her. The main doors had been thrown open. She shivered as she slowly made her way down the steps. At the bottom, Will was waiting for her.

He was wearing a navy blue suit with a turquoise tie to match Tessa's dress. He looked like a hero taken right out of a book, with the breeze blowing his his hair out of his face. She smiled and flushed when he gazed into her eyes, and he smiled back, gently taking her hand and kissing it when she reached him.

"You are….."

"I am what, Will?"

"I can't even pick the right words. Let's start with beautiful, perfect, unique but most importantly, mine."

She gazed down at the floor as Will twined his fingers with hers. "I hope you realize that I'm not going to let go of your hand the entire night."

They made their way into the dining hall, where waiters were crisscrossing about. Everything was covered in white, the ceilings, windows, tables. The chandeliers had fake icicles hanging off of them and the back of the hall had been cleared to provide dancing space and room for the musicians. They made their way to a table in center, where Cecily, Victoria and Sophie were already seated with their dates. Jem was seated at another table with his companion.

Tessa set her free hand on Will's arm, staring ahead. "Oh really? How do you plan on eating dinner then?"

"It's a good thing I'm ambidextrous" he said, wiggling his fingers.

Will, unfortunately, was not ambidextrous. His left hand was very bad at twirling bits of spaghetti onto his fork, and as a result, he was eating very slowly. At some point, everyone had gotten up to dance, and Will and Tessa were the only ones at the table. She was eating slowly for his sake, but it really wasn't working. She finally wound up feeding him his dinner, shoving bits of chicken and dessert into his mouth while he sat by her, his arm propped up to support his head. He didn't seem to mind the arrangement though.

When they were finally done, Will led Tessa to the dance floor, expertly twirling her and swinging her around the room. Since she was in flats, Will had set her on his feet, and was carrying the weight of both of them. The went right by Jem, who was being very respectful of Sophia's space. _So that's who he came to the ball with. _Sophia was in a pale lavender dress that swirled neatly around her ankles. Jem, who never really seemed to notice girls, wasn't really able to take his eyes of her.

Will brought Tessa closer and she wrapped her arms around his chest, and he set his chin on her head, slowly revolving in place now. Tessa met James' gaze, and she winked at him and smiled, happy for him. He grinned back and brought his attention back to Sophia, who was whispering something lightly in his ear. Tessa turned away from them and buried her head in Will's chest, wanting to be in a world with just the two of them. She had already received several murderous glances from other girls in the room, who were eyeing Will in longing. She didn't want to be stared at anymore.

And they stayed like that, twirling and moving slowly until it was nearly midnight, and Tessa was so tired that Will was practically holding her upright. "Tess" he said, stroking the bare skin on her upper back, "do you want to leave now?" She nodded and he took her hand, leading her out of the room and back to the dorm. When they reached the dorm, Tessa discovered that her room was empty. Will flicked on the lamp next to Tessa's bed, casting a dim glow about the room.

She stood in front of the vanity, slowly taking of the jewelry, setting the earrings into a small drawer, and the rings and bracelets onto a jewelry tree. She reached up to unhook her necklace, but was having a hard getting her fingers to latch onto the clasp. Will stood up behind her silently, and undid the necklace. Tessa caught the necklace before it hit the ground and set it onto the dresser. It took her a moment to realize that Will wasn't quite finished yet.

The edge of his lips were tracing Tessa's neck. She watched wide eyed in the mirror as Will planted deep kisses on her neck, tracing them down her shoulder blade and back up to that sensitive spot behind her ear. _Shoot, that's going to leave a mark in the morning._ He trailed his fingers slowly down her back, stopping at the zipper of the dress. Tessa turned her head sideways, glancing at Will through the corner of her eye. "Unzip me" she said. His lips parted in surprise, but he did as he was told. Tessa crossed her arms over her chest, setting her hands on her shoulders and let the soft blue material pool around her ankles, leaving her in a beige strapless bra and black knee-length spandex, which she had worn under the dress to keep her warm.

It was nothing special, and she knew it, but it was enough for Will. His eyes widened, and in a moment he was sweeping her out of the dress which was on the floor and onto the bed. He set her in his lap, and crashed his lips into hers.

She shifted so that rather than sitting sideways in his lap, she was straddling his hips, knees placed firmly on either side and feet tucked next to his thighs. Tessa eased the suit jacket off of him, tossing it onto the chair. When they broke off to catch some air, Will leaned back on his hands, looking into Tessa's face. She was staring the beauty in front of her, tracing his eyes, lips, cheekbones and neck with the tips of her fingers. Then he started to speak.

"Tess, before we take it any further, I need to ask you. Do you really want to do this?"

Tessa sat back onto his lap, letting her hand fall to her side. That was a really good question. She didn't know what she wanted. She wasn't sure if she was ready, or if it was even wise. After all, she hadn't even been dating him for two months. She was going to kick herself for this later, but she knew it was smarter. She stared down at her hands and said "No, Will, I don't really know if this what I want."

Tessa felt her lowered head being lifted slowly by one of Will's long fingers. He smiled. "Tessa, it's fine. I do not wish to force anything upon you. Being with you is all I need." Tessa nodded and yawned. Will chuckled. "Besides, I think we should go to bed anyways." She nodded again and rolled out of his lap, letting him stand up. She grasped his wrist in her hand. "Don't leave me." He patted her hand and gently loosened himself out of her grip. "I'll change and be right back." He left the room, and Tessa took a moment to scrub away the makeup on her face.

Once she had stepped out of the bathroom, she found Will already tucked under the covers of her bed, back pressed to the wall. She smiled and crawled into the bed beside him, not bothering to put on night clothes. She pressed her back into his chest, and he subconsciously wrapped his arms around her. And somehow, this felt more right to Tessa than anything they could've done together.

* * *

**Tori's POV**

Victoria was outside in the courtyard, walking arm in arm with Gabriel. They were skirting the edge of the fountain, talking quietly. She smiled as he spoke, but she couldn't help feel uneasy, like Gabriel was hiding something. He seemed to be getting a little distant lately. They sat down on the edge of the fountain, watching as Dean Roberts peered around a bush and dragged Matthew Winters and Willow Hall from out behind it, both extremely red faced. Gabriel turned to Victoria. "I think the phrase we're looking for is 'get a room'." She laughed and kissed him once on the cheek. That didn't seem to satisfy him though.

He leaned in, turning her body slightly towards his and bringing her closer to him. He kissed her with full force, not paying attention to his surroundings. Victoria, however, was in no mood to be caught and yelled at by a teacher. She pushed him away from her gently.

"Hm, Gabe, stop. There are teachers around."

He was tracing his nose along her neck. "I don't care, Victoria. I want you, and I want you now."

Now she was irritated. She forcefully shoved him off of her. "Gabe, stop it. I don't want to."

He set his hands on either side of the edge of the fountain, staring at her. "You know, why is it that we're always doing what _you_ want? Why can't I ever make the choices?" Before he even had a chance to feel for what he said, Victoria retaliated.

"Maybe, if you spoke up, you wouldn't feel like I never let you choose. But then again, you never seem to want to talk, do you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm talking about Christmas, Gabe. I spoke to Gideon."

"So?"

"Do you remember the night I called you after the holiday started?"

He nodded.

"Well" she continued "I hadn't pushed you to talk because you never blow me off because you're busy. I figured it was important and let it slide. But Gideon asked me Wednesday if everything was alright between the two of us. I didn't even know what he was talking about, until he mentioned the phone call that you had conveniently dropped. And you never did bother calling afterwards, Gabriel." She had set her hands by her side, looking at the ground.

"Victoria, if this is about that stupid phone call that I didn't return, it's really nothing to get upset about."

She stayed silent for several minutes. "I really needed you that night, Gabriel. I needed you, and you weren't there when you could've been. My cousins made a laughing stock out of me in front of a hundred people that night, did you know that?"

Gabriel's lips parted in surprise. She scowled at him, and continued on. "But clearly, whatever is running through the head of Gabriel Lightwood doesn't cast a light onto what others may feel."

Now it was his turn to be angry. "Hold up. How on _earth_ could I have known that the party would turn out disastrous? And since when do I not care about you, Victoria? Or anybody else, for that matter?"

"Perhaps if you stopped wallowing in self pity, then you could see that none of us really have it easier. Will and Cecy lost a beloved sibling. Sophie was attacked so badly in the dead of night during Year 9 that I'm surprised she speaks to the guys at all."

"And yourself right? Because your parents were blown to bits right in front of your eyes? When you were only ten years old?" He rose to his feet, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you had stopped thinking about _yourself_ for more than a minute, then maybe you could see that losing my mum to cancer was no cakewalk either." He stalked away, climbing up the steps of Institute. Victoria turned to look at her reflection in the water of the fountain, shifting in and out of focus.

* * *

The ball had been fun, until the music became morbidly depressing. Gideon had been the model gentleman, but he was still awkward on his feet, accidentally stepping on Sophie's toes while they were dancing. After a couple of hours and several red phalanges later, Sophie was ready to get out. But she didn't want to cut the night short with Gideon either.

"Gideon, do you mind if we leave? There's something I want to show you" she said quietly in his ear.

He nodded, and looked at her in surprise. He let himself be dragged out of the ballroom by Sophie, who led them both back to the dorm, but instead of heading downstairs, she began to head upstairs. "Soph, where are we going? My room is upstairs, not yours." "I wasn't taking us to your room, Gideon." They both flushed. Sophie shook her head to clear it, and pushed at a bit of the wall at the end of the East wing corridor on the fourth floor. It swung open into what looked like a supply closet. There was a small metal staircase here, which seemed to lead right into the ceiling.

Gideon's lips parted in surprise. "So, huh, this is what you wanted to show me? It's quite lovely.." Sophie sucked in her cheeks and raised an eyebrow at him. "You think I wanted to show you the supply closet and the stairs to nowhere?"

"No, that's ridiculous. Whoever came up with that idea?"

Sophie rolled her eyes and smiled at him. "Come here, and follow me up the steps."

Gideon did as he was told, and watched as Sophie felt around the ceiling and picked at a random bit of it. She finally managed to pull aside a bit of the cloth that had become a part of the ceiling. She peeled it aside, revealing a trap door. She set her hands on the door and pushed up, talking down to Gideon. "The best things are usually the most hidden ones." She raised the door slightly and pushed it aside, revealing the London night sky above them. Sophie used her arms to hoist herself through the opening in the ceiling. Gideon followed suit, and was utterly shocked by the view in front of him.

They were on the roof of Ethan house. After the main building, it was the tallest building on campus. The roof was flat and lined with stone benches. It's almost as if it was built for students to use. Sophie seemed to be channeling his thoughts, and smiled at him. "It used be another spot for students to hang out. But that was a long time ago. A student once committed suicide by jumping off the top, so they barricaded it."

"Then how do you know about this place?"

"Because of Cecily and Victoria. They wanted to explore one night during Year 9 and we found it here. We swore that we would keep the place to ourselves. Although, I think Tori might've shown this place to Will and Jem" she said as she lifted the seat of one of the benches. "Victoria hid a stash of wine here last semester. I wonder… Nevermind, it's here" she called, extracting it from the depths of the bench. Gideon raised an eyebrow at her.

"Don't judge. It's not my stash." She pulled off the loosened cork and drank a sip of the wine and sank to the ground, her back pressed against the bench and dress pooling around her knees. She patted the floor beside her. "Sit next to me." He felt his feet drag his body to where Sophie was. He sat down. She handed the bottle to him. "Cheers" she said. He grinned and took a sip, setting the bottle on his other side.

They sat silently for a while, slowly draining the bottle between them and staring at the starry night sky. Sophie leaned her head back onto the bench.

"You know, the night I was attacked, looked just like this" she said, subconsciously touching the scar that ran across her temple.

Gideon mimicked her posture, not knowing what to say.

"I was so sure that I was going to die that night" she continued. "I am so lucky that I was found when I was."

"Sophie, you're stronger than you give yourself credit for. You wouldn't have been able to die if you'd tried."

"Not really. You saw how badly I went into shock afterwards, not being able to talk to anybody besides Victoria and Cecily. It took me two freaking months to talk to you boys again. And I still don't trust many boys."

"But you're here, with me. Right now."

"Because when I'm with you, I feel safe."

She rolled her head on the bench to look at him. Before he could stop her, she was leaning into him, kissing him once.

Gideon opened his eyes as she moved back slightly. _That was unexpected._ She leaned in to kiss him again, but he held drew back this time.

"Sophie, this isn't right."  
"What do you mean? You don't want to kiss me?"

"Are you kidding? Every neuron in my brain is screaming at my body to hold you tight and never let you go. But you're drunk, and I'm drunk, and I don't want you to regret anything." Sophie pondered this for a second, and then rose to her feet. "I guess you're right. I want to go to bed though. Will you at least walk me back to my room?" she said, holding out her hand.

He smiled and took it. "Of course. I'll follow you to the moon and back, Sophie."


	12. Truth or Dare

**So here's chapter 12. Thanks again for the reviews, they mean a lot! We've finally hit forty! I know that this chapter is really long (I feel like I say that with a lot of chapters =/), but only because I'm not going to be able to update for a bit, as school started yesterday. So I decided to give you a longer chapter. Hope you like it!**

** forevermissPennyLane: Hmmm, I wasn't thinking of Alaska when I came up with Victoria. But I can see why you say that. I loved Looking for Alaska though. =)**

* * *

Gabriel flopped onto his bed face down. He groaned into the pillow.

"Mate, are you alright?" asked Thomas, who was reading in his bed.

Gabriel turned his head so he could see Thomas. "No, I'm not alright. I had a fight with Tori and honestly, it was so stupid. I wish she could just stop for a second and look around her."

Thomas raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought that was precisely the reason you fell for her in the first place. She's wild and carefree, but lovable."

Gabriel pulled his left arm out from under him and used it to prop his head up. "You're right, but there has to be a fine line. I wish she was a little bit more like Cecy, who seems to realize that perhaps once in awhile, she needs to slow down."

Gabriel cursed himself inwardly for his slip up. Thomas turned to face him fully, and he set his book down. "Don't tell me you're starting to like Cecily now."

Gabriel shifted onto his back and covered his face with his hands. "I don't know, Tom. I love Victoria, but I can't keep up with her. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Cecily, she just….."

"Mate, have you gone insane? They are _best friends_. Need I repeat myself?"

"I know that, Thomas, thank you very much. Which is what makes this even worse."

"Besides, even if you break up with Victoria, hypothetically speaking, you wouldn't really be able to be with Cecy anyways."

Gabriel moved one of his hands from his face and looked at Thomas. "What do you mean?"

Thomas waved a hand at him. "Apparently, it's girl code. If the boy dumps your best friend, you hate the boy as much as your friend does. If you break up with Tori, then Cecy will be naturally inclined to dislike you for it."

Now it was Gabriel's turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "Since when did you become the girl whisperer?"

Thomas shrugged and chucked a pillow at Gabriel. "Since you decided to become a prick and fall for two girls who are best friends."

"I don't have a crush on Cecily!"

"I don't care what you have to say, I know you have feelings for her, however small they may be now" said Thomas, lying back down in bed again, and flicking off the light.

Gabriel lay on his bed in his ball clothes, the night sky a deep violet-blue outside his window.

* * *

The next day, Victoria was outside on the main quad, sitting on a low stone wall that ran around the ground. She had woken up early, feeling eerily light until she remembered the events of the previous night. After the reality shock, she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so she slipped out of bed, being careful not to disturb Will and Tessa.

Will was curled around Tessa, his arms wrapped so tightly around her that Victoria was surprised she could breathe. Will shifted slightly, causing his nose to rub against Tessa's neck. "Tess" he muttered in his dreams. Tessa squirmed, unhappy about being tickled by Will's nose. "Will, stop it. I'm trying to sleep" she muttered, also fully covered in dreams. Victoria stared at them for a moment, feeling a sudden pang of longing in her chest. What they had was pure, and simple. No one could doubt the love they had for each other, even if they hadn't admitted it to each other yet.

Victoria had turned away and put her long, dark hair into a braid and slipped into a white sweater with silver polka dots, dark blue jeans, and black boots. She didn't bother putting on a winter coat as she headed out onto the snow-ridden quad. And she watched the sun come up slowly. Snow was falling lightly, but she didn't really feel the chill.

"I come bearing hot chocolate" a voice said from behind her. She turned to see Gabriel standing behind her, holding two steaming mugs of the drink. He had had the foresight to wear his winter jacket and gloves, so he didn't feel so cold. Victoria turned away from him as he dropped onto the wall beside her.

"Listen, Victoria" he continued, turning to face the hot chocolate mugs in his hands. "I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have yelled at you for being narcissistic."

"No you shouldn't have" she retorted. "But I'm sorry too, for not listening. I didn't realize how forceful I can be."

He held out the mug, trying again. "Here, take this, it'll warm your hands."

She turned to look at it, and then took the mug from his hands, grateful for its warmth.

"Are we cool now, Tori?" he asked, eyes filled with concern.

Victoria took a sip of the drink and gave him a small smile. "We're cool. I have a question. How did you know to find me out here?"

He chuckled. "I couldn't sleep all night. I got up to watch the sunrise, and I saw you walking out."

"Oh" she said, her face buried in the mug.

He patted her shoulder. "Anyways, Tori, I'm going to head inside now. I have a physics project to work on that's due tomorrow." He stood up and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "I love you." She smiled back at him, meekly. "Me too. I'll see you later."

He grinned and walked into the building. Victoria was glad that he had come and apologized, but she couldn't help but feel that something was missing from it.

* * *

The next several weeks passed by in a slow, routine fashion. The teachers had apparently come to a unanimous decision over the Christmas holidays that the students hadn't worked hard enough throughout the first semester, so they piled on the work now. This often meant that only students in the same academic programs saw each other regularly. It wasn't until a Saturday in mid-February, one month after the ball, that the girls decided to have a sleepover.

"Sleepover?" asked Tessa, sitting on her bed and talking to Tori, who was trying to put away some books and clothes she had scattered onto the floor.

"Yes, we are having a sleepover. I know it's cheeky, us living right next door to each other and all, but it's a bit more fun with all of us in the same room" said Tori, stuffing a pair of black heels under her bed.

Which is exactly how Tessa found herself setting up two sleeping bags in between her's and Tori's beds with Sophie. Cecily and Victoria had left Institute to get some supplies, which Tessa deduced included food and nail polish. Tessa and Sophie had finished setting up long back, and had changed into were sitting on the sleeping bags, talking amongst themselves.

"And that's why Mr. Mark keeps the saws under lock and key" finished Sophie, who had been telling Tessa a tale about an engineering project that she and Gabriel had worked on together the previous year.

Tessa grinned at her. "Speaking of Lightwoods, what's going on between you and Gideon?"

Sophie shrugged. "Nothing, really. I had fun at the ball, and I took a walk with him afterwards, but I can't seem to remember much of it. I do remember having a bad hangover though the next morning, which explains why I'm suffering from amnesia."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Seriously though. As he asked you out on a proper date yet?"

Sophie shook her head. "No. But he's been very awkward around me since the ball. I don't really know why. I didn't have spinach in my teeth, did I?"

Tessa scrunched her eyebrows together. "Not that I remember. But that's strange though."

Sophie shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe he's lost interest. Or maybe he's moved on."

Tessa was about to offer a comforting word to Sophie when the door to their room flung inwards, and Tessa was showered in bags of items.

She screamed before she stood up to find Victoria and Cecily grinning madly.

"Guys! Was that necessary? Couldn't you have set the stuff down like normal people?" shouted Tessa.

Victoria grinned as she shucked off her coat and boots. She had gone out in her pajamas,as had Cecily, who was already lying flat on Victoria's bed.

"Sorry T. But before you completely flip out, we brought you some of those gummy candies you like." said Victoria, who flopped onto Tessa's bed and pulled a bottle of red nail polish out of a bag.

Tessa found the gummy bears and began munching through them. The girls spent the greater part of the next hour gossipping, eating and painting nails. At some point, there was a knock on the door. Cecily looked up.

"Victoria, go open the door. My toes are still drying."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Yes, because I need _your_ permission to answer _my_ door Cecy."

She opened the door and was greeted by the boys, with Will standing in front of the group.

"Hey Victoria." asked Will, peering around her shoulder. He saw the proceedings of a late night taking place and he cheered to the other guys, plowing past Victoria. "Come on in, they've even got food here!"

Jem feigned mock hurt. "You had food and you didn't invite us?"

Sophie rolled her eyes. "That's because we knew _that _would happen" she said, pointing a blue-nailed finger at Mark, who had just inhaled a small pack of unopened Doritos.

He grinned when he realized Sophie was talking about him. He flopped onto Tessa's now empty bed. "Hey, the more the merrier. It's not like you guys were doing anything anyways" he said, sparing a cursory glance to the nail polish bottles lying around.

Tessa smiled as Will sat down beside her on the floor. "Hello, William. Do you want some candy?"

He nodded as she reached into a bag beside her. He popped a gummy bear into his mouth. "Hmm, gummy bears" he said.

Will smiled and took one her hands in his. Tessa smiled wickedly to herself and pulled out a bottle out bright pink polish from the bag beside her. Jem and Cecily had noticed Tessa's movements and had figured out what she was going to do. They grinned at her and kept quiet, going along with the idea of her painting Will's nails. He didn't really notice much as Tessa fumbled with his hand, as he was too engrossed in the food. He turned to Tori.

"Now what are we going to do? he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I would've been happy gossipping the whole night, but you guys clearly wouldn't be up for that."

Gabriel nodded. "You're sure right about that one."

The two of them were seated side by side on the floor, not really looking at each other. They may have resolved the conflict, but their relationship was starting to get chilly, just like the weather outside. They both argued over little things, apologized right away, and then fought again. Things that had been nonessential before were now causing them to not speak for days.

Gabriel glanced over at Cecily, who had now shifted to a desk chair, and was blowing her nails dry. She had painted them pale green. _Like the color of my eyes_ he thought. Cecily looked up at that moment and caught him staring at her. She looked away, uncomfortable under his gaze. This had been happening way too much lately for her comfort.

Jem, who was squashed between Tessa and Gideon, shrugged noncommittally. "Why don't we play truth or dare? It's been awhile since we've played that."

This suggestion was greeted with approval. Tessa pulled out a plastic water bottle from under her bed, which they spun to determined who went first. "Okay, oldest first" said Mark. He spinned the bottle in the center of the group, and the opening landed in front of Victoria. "Tori, truth or dare?" She pondered this for a second, and then said "Dare".

He grinned. "I have the perfect dare. Rumor has it that there's a First Form boy who's in the social sciences program who has a major crush on you. Your challenge is to go up to his room on the second floor, and kiss him. And I'll come with you, to make sure it actually happens."

Victoria rose to her feet. "Since when have I said no to a dare? Let's go." The two of them dashed out of the room, leaving Gabriel staring dumbfounded after them. "Okayyyyy" he muttered under his breath, which caused Thomas to stare at him. Before he could say anything, Will let out a very high pitched scream. He was staring at his left hand in terror.

"Tessa! You painted my nails bright pink?!" he shouted. The rest of the group had dissolved into a fit of laughter, while Tessa gave him an innocent smile and shrugged. "I thought it would suit you, Will."

"Tessa, I may murder you"

"No you won't. Homicide is illegal."

He feigned strangling her before he gave in and slung his now pink hand on Tessa's shoulder, giving her space to put her head on his shoulder.

The door flung open, revealing Victoria and Mark, who were laughing so hard that they had tears rolling their faces.

"Oh my goodness, Tori. The look on that boy's face!" said Mark.

She grinned and sat back down next to Gabriel. "Yeah, well, he'll get over it. Although judging by that expression, I don't think he's going wash his face for the next century. Okay, I'll spin."

Victoria leaned over and spun the bottle, the nozzle landing on Tessa. Tori wiggled her eyebrows at her friend. "Truth or dare?"

Tessa, who had no desire to go through a dare of Tori's, said "Truth."

Victoria thought for a second before she said "Tessa, we've only really known you for about five and a half months,and we don't really know much about your life in New York. So my question is, what is the craziest thing that you have ever done?"

Tessa stared at the floor; she could feel the heat rising to her face. "I.. uh… I went to a strip club during my freshman year." Tessa looked up and saw that the entire group was dumbfounded. "I mean, Year 9" she added.

And then Cecily leaned back in the desk chair. "I have got to hear how this happened" she said.

Tessa met her gaze, being careful not to look at Will beside her. "I was playing truth or dare, like we are now, and my friend Chris and my brother Nate dared me to go into one. They handed me a fake ID and pushed me in. I hope I never have to do that again. Which is also why I never pick dares anymore."

Victoria stretched her legs out in front of her. "Well, that's a first. Our own T has gone crazy. Anyways, spin away, Tessa."

Tessa spun the bottle and it landed on Thomas. He picked Truth too.

Tessa was having a hard time coming up with a question, so she wound up asking him a standard one. "What is your deepest secret?" she asked, staring him in the eye.

He gulped and straightened his back. "I'm gay" was all he said.  
The reaction from the girls was immediate. Sophie started choking on her water, which caused Gideon to start thumping her on the back. Victoria, who had been in the process of painting her pinky, was holding the nail polish brush in mid air, letting the red polish drip onto the floor while she stared at him. Cecily was curled in her seat, her mouth wide open. The boys just looked uncomfortable.

Finally, Tessa broke the silence. She reached around Will and set her hand on his knee. "Thomas, when did you realize-?"

"Over the summer. I told the guys at the start of the semester. I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier, I just didn't know how…" he trailed off, placing one of his own hands over Tessa's. She smiled at him.

Sophie, who had finally recovered, spoke up. "Well, I think I speak for all us when I say I'm glad you trust us." The other girls nodded in agreement. Whatever tension had been built up in the room dissipated then.

Victoria screwed the lid of the polish back on. "Well, now that you've told us you prefer boys over girls, is there anyone in particular who's caught your eye?" she said, grinning wickedly at him.

He shifted uncomfortably in his spot. He really didn't want to tell them about Aidan. So he just said 'There is someone, but you don't get to know whom."

"Aww, come on Thomas, please tell us!" begged Cecily.

He laughed and brushed her off. "No. Besides, I believe that my turn is over." he said, reaching over to spin the bottle. The nozzle landed in front of Sophie, who chose to take a dare.

Thomas thought carefully for a few minutes before he said "Okay, I dare you to go downstairs and sing 'Old Macdonald' very loudly in the common room. I don't care if you wake up the entire house. And for good measure, I'm going with you."

Sophie rolled her eyes and rose to her feet, cursing herself for picking the dare. The two of them made their way down to the common room. Sophie kept her word, and those who remained in Tessa's and Tori's could hear her singing away. When she came back, she was beet red. Thomas could barely contain his laughter.

"That was priceless, Soph. I wish I had brought my phone to record it!" he said, crumbling into a laughing fit between Will and Cecily.

Sophie scowled and sat down next Gideon again, who just raised an eyebrow at her. She shook her head and spun the bottle without another word. It landed on Gabriel.

"Truth or dare, Gabriel?" she asked.

"Truth" he said.

Sophie came up with a question very fast. "You and Tori have been dating for just over a year now. By this point, there will be things that you love, but also hate, about each other. What is the one thing that annoys you the most about Victoria?"

Everyone quieted, curious to hear the answer. Victoria stared at the floor.

"Ohhh, Gabriel, tread wisely" said Tessa, who winked at him.

Gabriel folded his hands in his lap, and looked at them while he spoke. "I hate how she rushes headlong into things without thinking them through. She doesn't stop to see how her actions lead to disastrous consequences. When she's in trouble, it is usually her own fault for not thinking things through."

Everyone was quiet, realizing that this was not a game anymore. Victoria turned to look at him in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, anger creeping into her voice.

Gabriel shook his head. "No, I am not kidding you. You know its true, don't give me that look."

"Seriously? When was the last time _I_ did something like that?"

He snorted, rising to his feet. "Just now, with the dare. You kissed that boy, and he may not have said much then, but he's going to find his voice by Monday, and if the entire school knows by lunch, I won't be surprised. And then you'll come to me with a new drama of how so and so said this and this."

Victoria also rose to her feet to meet his eyes. "And maybe if you weren't so sensitive, then you would know that that kiss, which was a stupid dare, meant nothing to me. Because that's what this is really about, isn't it, Gabriel? The kiss."

"You're right, this is about the kiss, because you didn't' even stop for a moment to think that maybe… that maybe you were going to get in trouble again" he shouted.

"You know what Gabriel? Maybe I don't need you to protect me all the time! Maybe I need someone to just let me fall and help me pick myself back up again!" she screamed. Tori had had enough, and she stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Gabriel made an impatient noise and left too.

* * *

The remaining people were silent, shocked at the scene they had just witnessed. Finally, Will rose to his feet and pulled Cecily out of her chair. "Cecy, come with me. We should find them." She nodded and followed her brother out of the room.

At the stairs in the middle of the corridor, Will turned to his sister. "Cecy, go look for Gabriel. He might be wandering the corridors of Institute. I'm going to go look for Tori. She'll probably be on the roof." Cecily gulped. "_Orrrr_, I could go get Tori, and you could speak to Gabriel" she said. Will shook his head, oblivious to her discomfort. "No, because I don't know Gabriel as well as you do. Go look for him." Cecily nodded in defeat and went downstairs, while Will made his way to the roof.

Tori had made no effort to cover up her tracks, and Will found her easily. She was seated on one of the stone benches, her head pillowed on her arms, which were rested against the railing. Will sat down beside her.

"Tori, are you alright?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Not really" she said, not wishing to elaborate.

"This wasn't the first time you've fought, is it?"

She shook her head."This is just one of many, Will."

"How long?"

"Since the ball. Actually, more like Christmas."

"Jesus, I didn't think things were so bad between you two."

"I didn't either" she said.

"Don't talk to him now. Talk to him in the morning, when both of your hot heads have cooled down. You both said things you shouldn't have, and it'll be easier to talk when you're both calm."

Victoria stared at him. "Since when did you become so wise, William?"

He shrugged. "Tessa's influence, I presume. Come here" he said, opening his arms to her. She fell into them, letting him squeeze her tightly for a second before letting go.

"Let's go back downstairs, Victoria. I think we should call it a night" he continued.

She nodded. "Good idea. I kind of wish Sophie hadn't asked that question. I don't blame her, it's not like she could've known. But still…."

"I get what you mean. It just added fuel to the fire" finished Will.

"Exactly." She let him help her to her feet, and they made their way back to their corridor, Victoria feeling slightly better knowing she had her friend on her side.

* * *

Cecily spent the better part of thirty minutes racing down the long corridors of Institute. She really wished she could've spoken to Tori. It would've been easier to comfort her. And Gabriel himself… She shook her head to clear it.

She finally found him in one of the open air corridors of Institute, leaning against a brick arch and looking at the quad, the moonlight streaming onto his face. _God he looks good. The moonlight- What am I thinking? He's not mine, he's Victoria's._

Not wishing to startle him, she approached him from the front, kneeling on the ground in front of him. She stared at the grounds once before she spoke. "You know, I always find night a good time for thinking. Everything is silent enough for me to think clearly."

He turned his head slightly so he was facing her. "Cecy, what do you want?"

She gulped. "To see if you're okay. That was a pretty nasty fight you two had upstairs."

He snorted. "It's nothing new. I mean, that fight was bad, but we've been fighting a lot lately."

_That's news to me. If they've been fighting for a while, then why hasn't Victoria said anything?_

"Gabriel" she continued "you shouldn't have said those things."

He tucked his legs under him and rose on knees, now staring down on Cecily. He grasped her by the arms and shook her slightly. "And what about Victoria, Cecy? Was she wrong too?" he asked, a slight desperation in his voice.

"She shouldn't have been so forward either" Cecily said carefully, putting her hands on Gabriel's arms to push him away gently. "You should talk to her in the morning and-"

She was cut off promptly by Gabriel's lips, which had crashed into hers. His hands were still on her arms, holding her tightly in place. The world was spinning around Cecily's head, and a moment later, Cecily was surprised to find that her arms had wound their way around his neck. _What am I doing? I'm Cecily Herondale and I am kissing Gabriel Lightwood. But he is not my boyfriend, he is Victoria's- _ and with that last thought, she pushed him away from her, breaking off the kiss.

He ran his hands through his hair. "By god, what was that?" he asked, staring at Cecily.

She was looking at her hands. "It never happened, Gabriel. We won't ever speak about this, agreed?"

He nodded, knowing the problems it would cause if anyone found out. "Agreed. Let's go back, I'm really tired" he said, rising to his feet. Cecily followed him out, leaving a little space between them.

If each of them hadn't been so absorbed, then they would have perhaps heard the light clicking sounds that had occurred during their kiss.

* * *

**For the heck of it, I decided to post a snippet of the next chapter. ;)**

* * *

All ten of them stood in a single line, hands folded either in front of or behind them. Headmistress Branwell was ruffling through the pages on her desk, examining the reports. Then she stood up and spoke to them.

"Never before has Institute ever experienced such disgrace. In my fifteen years here, I have never, ever had to make a late night trip to the police station for students. I want to know who is responsible for this, because I have half a mind to expel all of you this instant."


	13. The Night of No Delicacy

**Finally, Chapter 13! I have got stop writing such long chapters. Seriously, though, make sure you set aside at least a good ten minutes for this chapter, and make sure you're sitting down. It's going to take you for a ride. Thanks again to those of you who reviewed/followed/favorited! It was actually those reviews which probed me to write faster so that I wouldn't be mobbed by angry followers. **

* * *

All ten of them stood in a single line, hands folded either in front of or behind them. Headmistress Branwell was ruffling through the pages on her desk, examining the reports. Then she stood up and spoke to them. Tessa had never seen the domineering woman so angry before, and even though every single one of them was taller than her, they hung their heads and looked anywhere but at her.

"Never before has Institute ever experienced such disgrace. In my fifteen years here, I have never, ever had to make a late night trip to the police station for students. I want to know who is responsible for this, because I have half a mind to expel all of you this instant."

* * *

**The Tuesday before**

Victoria plopped into her seat at the dinner table. She leaned back in it, and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Guys, I'm bored. March weather sucks; it's so dreary outside and nothing interesting ever happens in March" she complained.

"As opposed to the wet weather we suffer through the rest of the year?" asked Jem.

Victoria glared at him. "Haha very funny. But I'm serious. I feel like a robot; all I've done is gone to class, travel with the debate team, shop and do homework since the holidays. There hasn't even been a good party in a while" she finished, crossing her arms over chest.

"Did someone say party?" Gabriel had come up from behind her and landed in the seat beside her. It had been three weeks since that disastrous truth or dare game. The relationship was a bit icy, but it was slowly starting to warm up. Gabriel kissed her on the cheek, and Victoria patted his hand in return.

Cecily was staring at them from across the table. Her heart twisted momentarily in her chest when he kissed Victoria. It really sucked, knowing that the boy you liked was dating your best friend. Hurting Victoria was the last thing she would ever do, but it still ached. All she had been able to think about was that kiss on the quad, and how Gabriel had tasted like chocolate. She stared down at her plate and picked at her dinner.

"I was saying" said Victoria " that I'm bored." Gabriel pondered this for a second before he said "You know, dad's out of town again this week and next week in Moscow on business. We could pull together something for this weekend at the house in Chiswick. What do you think, Gideon?"

He nodded at his brother's offer. "I think it should be okay. How does that sound guys?"

The rest of them nodded in agreement. Anything to kill the boredom.

"How many people do you think we should invite?" Victoria asked Gabriel.

"Why don't we invite all the people from our house? If we invite all hundred, then at least half are bound to show up, and I don't know how many more we could handle" he said.

She nodded. "It sounds good, Gabe. Looks like we've got a party to plan!"

* * *

**Saturday Afternoon**

Tessa was in the Lightwood mansion in Chiswick, blowing up balloons for the night's event. It had been the first time that Tessa had been here, and needless to say, she was impressed. The house was way too big for three people. It was separated into two wings, with living and personal quarters in one end and the communal rooms on the other. The center was two stories high, and there was a balcony on the the first floor, overlooking the magnificent yard which housed a pool, tennis courts and a grassy slope.

The group had decided to spend the previous night at the house, which had been fun. They'd played video games, watched movies, eaten a ton of food and took a night swim in the pool, even though it was freezing outside. Tessa tossed the last of the balloons onto the living room floor.

"Cecy, I think we're done. If I blow up another balloon, my lungs are going to burst." she said, sinking to the ground.

"I totally agree. Why do we need so many anyways? We'll have to pop them all eventually" Cecily complained.

"That's because the place would look empty without them" said Victoria, who had come into the living room followed by Gabriel, who had an arm wrapped around her waist. She had a tray in her hand, with what looked like shot glasses. Cecily forced her attention to Victoria, and deftly ignored Gabriel. He was also studiously avoiding her gaze.

'What's in the glasses Tori?" asked Tessa, oblivious to any awkwardness.

"Jello shots for tonight. It looks like they came out alright. Tessa, where again did you put up the notices for the party?"

Tessa, who had been in charge of writing up the announcements, had stuck the notices under people's doors, so that there was a minimal chance of teachers catching them. Tessa told her this.

Victoria grinned. "Good. It should be fun. Come on Gabriel, let's go check on Mark on the balcony. Hopefully, he hasn't dropped any equipment off of it yet."

He laughed lightly and followed her out. Tessa grinned after them .

"They are probably the most dynamic couple I have ever come across."

Cecily rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. You would've thought that they were going to kill each other after that game, and now they're acting like nothing's happened."

Tessa scrunched her eyebrows at her. "Cecy, are you alright? You've seemed a little off for the past few weeks."

Cecily gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Come on, our work is done here. Let's go find my brother dearest and see how he and Jem are faring in the yard." Cecily stood up and held her hands out to Tessa to help her up. Tessa let herself be pulled up and dragged into the freezing yard.

* * *

**Saturday Night**

Tessa had thought that Chiswick would be able to hold the people that they had invited, but even Tori's amazing math skills had failed to calculate the power of the spoken word. Apparently, students from other forms had decided to bring along their friends from other houses, and Tessa had an odd feeling that there were more than a fifth of Institute's thousand students were present at the Lightwood residence.

At first, it had been okay, with people slowly trickling in from seven. But now, nearly three hours later, the group was racing around, trying to keep up with the demand for drinks and food. Tessa felt like her ears were bleeding from the deafening noise. She was finally glad when she saw Will, leaning laconically against the wall beside the shot table.

"Will, thank God I found you. This party is slowly turning into a nightmare. There are way too many people here."

"I agree, Tessa" he said. She was about to add on but they were interrupted by a loud clattering noise nearby. Apparently, some members of the boys rugby team had found some sort of metallic sphere, and they were tossing it around. Gideon had showed Tessa the piece the night before, and if that thing broke, then the rugby team would wind up owing the Lightwoods hundreds of pounds.

Will stalked over to them "Oy! Put that down if you don't want to have to sell yourselves to pay the Lightwoods back for it!"

They at least had the grace to look sheepish. They set the object down and went out into the yard, where the scene at the pool was no better. Will saw a couple head up the stairs, and he cursed in a stream of mangled words and followed them. At that moment, Tori ran up to Tessa, covered in something that looked stringy. Tessa picked at it gingerly.

"Tori, why are you wearing Silly String?"

She let out an angry sigh. "Because some idiots from Westminster decided to sneak into the party. I presume it's the volume of the noise that brought them in. I swear to God we're going to wake up the Queen in Buckingham Palace on the other side of the city with the amount of noise we're making. And we're slowly starting to run out of everything, and it's only ten o'clock. Gabe and Gideon are trying to rummage through the cellar and pull out what they can."

Tessa nodded. "Let's try to keep things going until midnight. Then we can kick everyone out."

"Alright Tessa" she said, looking on the verge of a breakdown. At that moment, Will reappeared again.

"William, where on earth have you been?" asked Tori.

He smirked. "Upstairs, stopping teenagers from having unprotected sex in your boyfriend's bedroom."

Tori threw her hands up in the air and stalked away, clearly looking to find Gabriel. In spite of herself, Tessa laughed. "Good grief Will, way to be subtle."

He grinned at her and put an arm around her shoulder. "What can I say, subtlety is not my forte. Come on, let's go try to do some damage control around here."

Tessa grinned and let him lead her around the house.

* * *

Jem was sparing cursory glance at the drinks table, trying to find something that looked a little appealing. He had always had a penchant for green jello, but he really wished Sophie hadn't taken them all. He sighed and picked up a blue shot, turning it precariously in his hand. "Those are my favorites. Most people don't like them, but I can't imagine why."

Jem whirled around to find Aidan Lucas behind him. Aidan, who lived in Elizabeth House, was in the Arts program with him, although he was focusing on 3D art. He was pretty cool, and also one of the few openly gay members on campus. Jem smiled at him.

"I don't mind them, but I prefer the green ones. But I think my friend Sophie took most of them."

Aidan laughed loudly. A little too loudly, Jem noticed. Still, he was decent company, and Jem spoke to him casually, asking him about classes and swimming and the likes. Aidan was polite, and they wound up in the gazebo near the Lightwood's pool, which was one of the few quiet places at the party. If Jem had been a little more attentive, he might've noticed Thomas glaring at him from across the yard.

"Jem, I've heard you play the violin before. You are honestly one of the best musicians I've heard" slurred Aidan, who seemed to be enjoying the jello shots a bit too much.

Jem gave him a skeptical grin. "Well, I'm not that good. I do hope to play professionally someday though. Maybe at the Met, or in Moscow."

Aidan leaned forward, so that his face was not too far from Jem's, and so that he could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Well, you should know that I would be in the front seat, watching you play your heart away." He leaned in and kissed Jem full on the lips.

Jem, who wasn't expecting this, flung his arms out wildly before they finally landed on the wooden posts behind him. Aidan drew back after a moment, when he noticed that Jem wasn't giving into the kiss.

Jem was a notorious shade of red and he wasn't really capable of getting out a full sentence. "Uhhh, Aidan…. You should know… I mean I'm not…." Aidan shook his head and smiled slightly. "Not gay?" he finished for Jem. Jem nodded slightly.

Aidan shrugged casually. "Ehhh, I should've known it was too good to be true. I did you see you with Sophia at the ball. I just had to try and see…"

Jem shook his head to clear it, his black locks falling into his eyes. He was beginning to turn into Will, who went months on end without getting his hair cut. Jem brushed it impatiently out of his eyes. "It's cool. Anyways, I should probably go look for Will. Nice seeing you around, Aidan." Aidan nodded tersely, and Jem dashed into the house before things could get anymore awkward.

* * *

Sophie's head was way too light. She had promised herself that she would stay away from anything intoxicating, but her resolve was immediately broken the minute she had one of the green jello shots. She had downed four over the course of two minutes, and she was soundly regretting the decision now. She could barely see in front of her. She stumbled out of the kitchen door, and would've landed flat on her face had a pair of arms not caught her.

The arms set her upright. She turned to face the stranger. He was pretty to look at, almost like Mark with his sandy blonde hair and pale blue eyes. The boy grinned at her. "Are you alright there?" he asked. Sophie nodded. His voice was way too familiar, but Sophie couldn't quite place it. "I'm fine" she slurred. He shook his head and held out his hand.

"I'm Robert. And you are….?"

"I'm Sophie, Sophie Collins. Do you go to Institute?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nope, I attend a nearby government school."

Government school? Why did that ring a bell? She shook her head and plopped down onto a nearby couch, amidst several kissing couples. Robert sat next to her, almost as a barrier between the others and her. He spoke almost absentmindedly, but Sophie didn't mind, because she couldn't really grasp what he was saying anyways At some point, he put his hand on her leg, just above her knee, stroking the skin on it almost subconsciously.

_I'm so tired_ she thought. She leaned against his shoulder, not really registering the hand on the knee. "Robert, I think I'm going to go to sleep. It was nice getting to know you though" she said, rising to her feet and stretching. Robert took her hand, and grinned wickedly at her. "Come on, I'll put you to bed." he said, leading her up the winding staircase.

_Something's wrong. But what? Robert's so nice. He seems smart and tough. I'm just being paranoid._

They entered a bedroom and Sophie dashed over to the bed, landing face down on it. Robert closed the door behind them. Robert sat next to her, tracing small circles on her back.

"Sophie?"

"Hmmm?"

"Please sit up."

She did as she was told. She could barely keep her eyes open, which is why she felt Robert's lips being placed onto hers before she saw them. He wasn't gentle at all, biting down onto her lip. She shook her head out of his hands which her cupping her face, and tried to lean back.

"No, Robert, I don't want to. Stop it. Let me sleep."

He grinned nastily and held her face even tighter, not relinquishing his hold. "I'm not finished yet, my love."

And then it dawned on her. He was one of the boys who attacked her during Year 9. He was the one who had knifed her face. That was the last thing he had said before she went unconscious. She was more alert now, her eyes wide in panic. He chuckled at her sudden realization.

"It took you long enough. Now where were we?" he said, leaning into her again. He closed his eyes, and Sophie took this moment to use her free hand to hit him across the face.

It wasn't pain that caused him to let go; rather it was pure shock. She leaped to her feet and ran for the door, only to discover that it was locked. Before she could undo the lock, she felt his arms grab her roughly from behind and drag her from behind. It was all she could do before she started to scream.

* * *

Gideon was aimlessly wandering through the first floor of the west wing of his house. He wasn't really one for crazy parties. He stepped into his father's study, and flipped through a photo album in the top drawer of his dad's desk.

The album was filled with photos taken of him, Gabriel, Benedict and Barbara, when she'd been alive. Gideon smiled and ran his fingers over a photo of him and Gabriel at the zoo when they were young. He remembered that day clearly; Gabriel had been so afraid of the lions that he had run crying into their mother's arms, while Gideon had observe the majestic creatures in awe. Another photo showed him with his arm slung around Gabriel's shoulder on his first day of primary school. The stupid idiot had been three then, and even as a child, he had managed to plaster a perfect dumbfounded look on his face. Another one a few pages later showed him and his mum on holiday in Disneyland in Paris. It was the last trip the four of them had taken as a family before she'd been diagnosed with the brain tumor. He sighed before he slipped to the last page, which showed Gabriel tackling him from behind, grinning like crazy on his brother's slipped the album back into the drawer, and that was when he heard the scream.

_Sophie_. He ran out of his father's study, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. He heard the scream again, and discerned it was coming from the east wing. He ran around the balcony overlooking the foyer, pausing only to listen for another sound. Nothing. He cursed and began to pound on each door. He was granted with empty room after empty room. He finally succeeded when he knocked on his bedroom door.

"Sophie? Sophie, are you in there?"

A muffled sound was all that he could pick out. He tried the doorknob and found it locked. Figures. He reached around the top of the door frame for the paperclip that he always kept around. He found it, and straightened the edge so that he could poke it through the small opening on the knob. After several jabs, he was rewarded with a clicking sound. He swung his door inward, and took in the scene in front of him.

Sophie was there alright, but she wasn't alone. There was some boy on top of her, who seemed to be holding her legs down with his own and her arms with his hands. He could see Sophie's face from around the boy's shoulder, and there were tears streaming down it. It was the tears that completely undid Gideon.

He stalked over to the bed and pulled the boy off of it, shoving him to the floor.

"What the hell?" he shouted, buttoning up his jeans again.

"I should be asking you that" said Gideon coldly. "I find you molesting a girl in _my_ bedroom, might I add, and you have the nerve to ask me questions. Get out" he snarled "before I call the police on you and thrash you blue myself."

The boy scoffed and walked out of the room. Gideon closed his eyes as he heard the door shut, and turned to look at Sophie.

She was now sitting upright, her face still extremely wet. There were already small bruises forming on her arms. "Sophie-" he said, stretching out a hand to her. She shrunk back from it, eyes wide in fear. Gideon sighed in defeat and closed his eyes again. He turned around to give Sophie a moment. He heard Sophie behind him as she struggled to get out of the bed, _his_ bed, for that matter. After a long silent moment, she spoke up.

"Gideon, you can turn around now." she said. He turned, and he wished he hadn't. Sophie was silent, and no longer crying. But this was worse, in a way, because the last time this happened, she didn't speak for nearly a month. Gideon took a step forward, and edged towards her slowly until her was standing in front of her. She opened his arms to her, and she fell into them, burying her face in his shirt. She was shaking so hard that Gideon felt his heart cracking for her. He stroked her hair with one hand.

"Shhhh, you're okay. He's gone."

"Gi-Gi-Gideon, you… you don't get it. He remembered me from two years ago. When he slashed me across the face."

Gideon held her out at arm's length and then he dashed out of his room, racing down the stairs and out the door. He could hear Sophie following, but they were both too late. Robert had sped away in a taxi by the time Gideon had gotten there.

"God damn it!" he screamed, panting from running so fast. Once he'd regained his breath, he turned to face Sophie, who was staring at the street. He walked up to her again.

"Sophie, what exactly happened? He didn't actually…."

She shook her head. "He almost did. But you came in time."

Gideon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Let's go inside" he said. "I'm going to find Victoria and ask her to call off this party. It's almost midnight, and it's been a complete disaster."

She nodded and walked with him back into the house, both of them being careful to maintain some distance between them.

* * *

Cecily was walking around the edge of the pool, a glass of fruit punch in her hand. Someone had fallen into the pool and was being helped out by a friend, but she hardly noticed as she stood on the deck, taking in the night sky.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Without even turning, she knew that Gabriel had come up from behind her. She closed her eyes for a moment before she forced a smile onto her face.

"Yeah, I've always loved the stars. They're much more visible in Wales though" she said.

Gabriel nodded in understanding. "London does seem to cover up everything pretty."

Awkward pause.  
"Cecily?"

"Yes?"

"We never really did talk about that night."

Her stomach dropped momentarily. She shrugged as if she didn't care. "What's there to talk about? Nothing happened."

Gabriel looked at her in shock. "What do you mean, nothing happened? You can't tell me it didn't mean anything to you. Don't tell me that you didn't feel it too."

That was the problem. She had felt it, stirring like a hidden monster in her chest. But she had to lie, for the sake of her friendship. "I don't know what you were talking about. It's just lips."

His mouth tightened into a thin line. "You know, even though you're Victoria's friend, I've always thought that you were the more reasonable of the pair. Clearly, I was wrong, because apparently, kisses don't mean anything to either of you. After all, they're just mechanical motions, right?"

Cecily glared at him before she turned to leave. Before she could make her way back into the house, Gabriel caught at her wrist, spinning her to face him. She gasped in surprise.

"Don't walk away from me, Cecy. I know you're lying to me. You can't tell me it didn't mean anything."

Cecily opened her mouth to answer, but she was caught off guard by a loud buzzing noise. Impatiently, Gabriel let go of her wrist, shoving his hand into his pocket. Cecily felt her own phone vibrate against her leg, and she pulled it out too. The message had come from a blocked number. There was no text, just an attached image. When Cecily zoomed in on the photo, she nearly dropped her phone.

It was her, with Gabriel. Kissing him as if the world would end if he stopped. It was actually a beautiful photo, both of them framed against the midnight blue sky. But no one was supposed to know about it. And this photo proved that someone did.

Gabriel had apparently received the same message, because his own jaw was hanging open. He finally managed to meet Cecily's eyes. "Cecy, this is…. this is so bad. I didn't even…. I have to go find Victoria" he said, turning in a frantic circle.

* * *

Victoria was still covered in the silly string. She hadn't had a chance to take it off of her, but she was grateful that it was almost midnight. She had had enough, and couldn't wait to go to bed. She was so tired that she walked right into Sophie and Gideon. She grinned at them before she saw their sullen faces. She raised an eyebrow at them.

"Guys, is everything okay? What's going on?"

Sophie looked away from her while Gideon recounted the entire incident, trying to keep it simple. By the time he was done, Victoria was staring at her friend, mouth hung slightly open. She took Sophie into her arms, who in turn buried her face into her friend's shoulder.

"Oh my goodness Soph. I'm so sorry. You're safe now" Victoria murmured to her. She was so busy with Sophie that she didn't even realize when Gideon was tugged into the crowd by a random arm.

"Ouch!" he cried, rubbing his arm once he'd been let go. Tessa and Mark had dragged him towards the wall, worry lining her face. "Gideon, go get Tori's phone from her. Now."

He crossed his arms, still annoyed by being taken away from Sophie. "No. Not until you tell me why. I don't want to get into her war path."

Tessa silently held up her own phone, and showed him the picture of Gabriel and Cecily.

"Tessa, how on earth did you-"

Mark waved him off. "It was texted to us by a random number. We don't recognize it. But apparently it's been sent out to a lot of people, mostly kids from Institute. I don't think she's seen it yet, judging by the look on her face. Go grab her phone, Gideon. Now, please" he asked.

Wordlessly, he handed his own phone to Tessa, which had a single unread message on it. He figured it was the photo. Gideon sighed and walked back to Tori, who was still holding onto Sophie.

"Tori, I seem to have lost my phone. Can I use your's to call mine?"

"Sure Gideon." She pulled her phone out of the pocket, and reached out to hand it to him. Her finger accidentally hit the Home button, which lit up the screen and revealed one unread message from… Jonathan. I number that she had used once upon a time, but had never gotten around to deleting. But why Jonathan? She stared at the notification curiously, and drew her phone back, sliding her finger over the message. It expanded to reveal an image, which was a bit difficult to see because of the darkness in the photo.

Tori zoomed in on the photo, and she could _feel_ her heart drop down to her feet. This couldn't be possible. Her best friend and her boyfriend couldn't do this to her. They couldn't have. But yet, there they were, clinging to each other. She sucked in a deep breath.

"Gideon, was this why you wanted my phone?" she asked, holding up the phone to him, her voice shaking.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, and then he closed it. He hung his head and nodded. "I didn't want you to see it yet, Tori. I figured you should at least talk to Gabriel in private. I didn't know about this, I swear."

She closed her eyes, trying to stop the dizziness that was overcoming her. This couldn't be happening. She felt the sudden urge to kick something and scream at the same time. When she finally felt steady, she opened her eyes, and looked out the open patio doors.

She saw Gabriel and Cecily together, who were staring at their phones. Gabriel was turning in a circle, looking for God knows what. His eyes eventually found Tori's. He started to make his way towards her, but he never did reach her.

Gabriel hit the ground before he even realized what happened. Will had appeared out of nowhere and punched him straight across the face. Gabriel jumped back to his feet, suddenly very angry. Blood dripped from his nose onto the deck's stone.

"What the hell Will?"

"You cheated on my best friend with my _sister_?! What is wrong with you? That's disgusting, Gabriel. Really, and you wondered why I called you _Lightworm_ for most of Year 9.

Gabriel hit him back, this time landing a blow across Will's jaw. He stumbled, momentarily surprised, before he launched himself at Gabriel, anger etched into his face. They really only got to fit in a few more punches before they were pulled apart by Jem and Gideon.

Jem, who holding Will back with Mark's help, turned to Tessa. "Tessa, get everyone out, now. We're done."

Tessa nodded, and before she could as so much lift a finger, she heard the sirens wailing in the distance. "As if this night couldn't get any worse" Victoria said, letting out an empty, cold laugh.

As expected, chaos ensued, with all of the remaining guests scrambling to get out before they got caught by the police. The police burst through the door fairly fast, putting an end to the night of no delicacy.

* * *

The rest of the night had been a blur. The ten of them, along with a dozen other Institute students, were taken to the station, where they waited an hour before Headmistress Branwell came to pick them. That hour had been the longest of Tessa's life. She had spent most of it cleaning up Will, wiping off blood and bandaging cuts. Gabriel was treating himself, while Jem tried to prod Tori into talking. She didn't say a word for the rest of the night; she just glared stonily ahead. Gideon sat on the bench with Sophie, whispering to her in hushed tones. Thomas glared at Jem the whole time for God knows what reason. And Cecily was matched with Victoria, not speaking to Mark when he tried to talk to her.

Headmistress, needless to say, was furious. She was tired too, but she still had enough energy to yell at the two dozen Institute students she had to pick up. In the end, she ordered everyone to bed and told them she would speak to them in the morning.

* * *

**Sunday Morning**

Headmistress Branwell stood up and walked around from behind her desk so she was now in front of it. She crossed her arms. "Well, I want an answer, because unless someone steps forward, I will expel you all in a heartbeat."

There was a moment of silence, and then Victoria raised her head.

"Headmistress, it was my fault. I had complained that I was bored last week and I pushed these guys into helping me with the party. It's my own fault."

"Hold up" said Gabriel. "I'm the one who suggested we use the Chiswick house for the party, remember? You wouldn't have even thought of it if it wasn't for my own stupidity." He turned to the Headmistress. "In a way, it's really my fault."

Then Tessa spoke up. "Well, the rest of us weren't helpful either, because we didn't even try to stop you guys."

Everyone started talking at once, each one taking the blame for the previous night. Finally, Headmistress had to bang her desk with her hand to get everyone to stop yelling.

"That is enough! I am appalled by the lot of you! I have deduced that no one person is responsible for last night, so rather than expelling one of you, I'm going to punish all ten of you. Until the end of the semester, your weekend privileges have been revoked as of next weekend. Instead of leaving Institute, you will be required to serve four hours of detention per weekend. You will also be banned from participating in any athletic pursuits for this semester. I hope this will give you plenty of time to think about the disgrace you have brought onto yourselves and Institute. If I hear one more instance of shenanigans from the lot of you again, I promise you that you will never set foot on this campus again. Leave!" They filed out, not wishing to anger her anymore.

* * *

Victoria stalked right out of Headmistress Branwell's office, her face still a blank slate. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her winter coat. She ignored Tessa's and Will's calls, and jogged down the main stairs to the entrance of Institute, her braid thumping against her back. She as might as well use the last free weekend she had. Once she reached the sidewalk, she hailed a cab, which took her to a flower shop. She bought a bouquet of white lilies. Those had always been their favorites. She sniffed them once, sighing to herself before she paid for them.

Even though they were French, Victoria's parents had been buried in London, where they were living when they died. The cemetery was nearby, so Victoria decided to walk the two blocks over. It was huge, but Victoria could navigate her way around the gravestones. She knew where her parents would be, nestled under a cherry blossom tree that grandmere had requested to be planted near their tombstones. It would have been easy to find without the tree; Victoria was drawn to the spot like a pin was drawn to a magnet. When she reached her parents graves, she sank down onto the small bit of earth that remained exposed between their tombstones. She split the bouquet of lilies in half, and rested the flowers on the marble coverings.

"I brought the flowers you both love" she said, resting her head on her mother's grave, approximately where her lap would be if she was alive. "I know I usually visit when I have good news. But I need to tell you anyways. If you were here, you would've probably let me have an earful for it. God, I would do anything for that now." She paused. "Maman, Papa, you aren't going to be happy to hear this, but I was arrested by the police last night. I helped put on a party that ended really badly. But I'm okay." She absentmindedly stroked one petal of a lily between her fingers.

"Maman, remember when Papa used to come home and give these to you? Your face would light up when you saw the flowers you were named after. You were both in love; very madly in love. I used to be jealous, wondering when I would be able to have something that good."

"Then, one day" she continued, "I remember papa had set me in his lap, explaining that he had been very lucky to find you, maman. I would find love someday, but I would have my heart broken first. You promised me that when that would happen, you would be right by my side. I thought love was easy and I didn't believe you then, papa. I was so blind."

A lump had formed in Victoria's throat, and unable to fight it, she went with it. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. "You were right, papa. My heart has been shattered into a thousand pieces, and you aren't here to put me back together. Where are you?" she said, her voice rising in desperation. She turned her face and pressed her forehead into the marble tombstone, her arms folded around her head. "Maman, it really hurts. It really, really hurts" she sobbed. No longer able to talk, she cried for hours, sobbing into the cool marble, encased in cherry blossom petals and the fragrance of lilies.

* * *

**Hope you liked it! I make no promises about the date for the next update though.**


	14. Broken Hearts

**Hi everyone. First off, I want to apologize for the very, very late update. College apps and school are currently consumming all my waking hours. Thanks to those of you who reviewed, it means a lot! I've already got the next chapter in the works, so I should have that up in another week or two. Thanks for being so patient!**

* * *

Tessa blinked awake. The sun was streaming through the window beside her bed. The snow had mostly melted, and slowly, the buds were forming onto the trees on the quad under the gentle early-April weather. Tessa was in no hurry to get out of bed; it was Sunday, and for the first time all term, she had absolutely nothing to do for school or her activities. She turned onto her side, and glanced over at Tori, who was still sound asleep .

For once, Tori had managed to sleep through the whole night. For the past few weeks, Tessa had wound up shaking her out of her dreams multiple times in a night. And it wasn't like there was one recurring issue either. Her sleep was filled with nightmares from her past humiliations, screaming caused by revisits to her parents' deaths, and sometimes tears, caused by reasons that she wouldn't explain to Tessa. Tessa hadn't even known it was possible to cry in your sleep until she shook Victoria awake several nights after the party. Tessa had a hunch that it was the events of the party, especially the information about Cecily and Gabriel, that had completely undone her.

During the day, Tori was fine. She got along with everyone except Gabriel and Cecily, whom she was deftly ignoring. Tessa was beginning to get concerned though, because her ignoring them was starting to wear down the collective energy of the group. Plus, if both of them didn't catch up on their sleep soon, there was going to be a more immediate problem.

Tessa rolled out of her bed and put on a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt. One of Will's actually, which was a navy blue number printed with a gold emblem of some sort on the front. She slipped out of her room and after gently closing her door behind her, she knocked on the door one over, and waited until Will opened it.

He was wide awake, and it seemed like he had been reading before Tessa showed up. Unlike the rest of them, Will liked to rise at the crack of dawn. He grinned at her.

"Morning" he said, taking one her hands and pulling her into the room. Tessa sat in Jem's desk chair, swiveling about in it. Jem's bed was conspicuously empty, and when Tessa asked Will about it, he answered with a nonchalant "Probably in the music room."

Tessa swirled about again, tucking her hands into the sleeves of the sweatshirt. "So what's the plan for today, Will?" she asked.

He sat back down onto the floor. "I don't really have anything to do. I was reading for the heck of it. Do you have any work to do?"

Tessa shook her head. "Nope. We can't even go out, which really sucks."

The group had handled the campus arrest with ambivalent feelings. On many weekends, it was fine that they couldn't leave Institute, because they were so piled on with work that they couldn't have left anyways. But on a day like today, Tessa was itching to go to Hyde Park and picnic under the trees.

Tessa was still spinning around in the chair when she noticed a flyer tacked on to Jem's corkboard. She stood up and untacked it gently from the board. It was a notice about the House Olympics, which were due to start that week.

Tessa was actually excited to participate. Unlike the uneventful pep rallies and spirit weeks that Dalton's used to have, the House Olympics was competitive, and the prize at the end was usually worth it. Over the course of four weeks, each form, except for the 5th, competed by house for the most points. In each week, each form would be let out of classes early on one day in order to participate in the day's competition. Being a member of the third form, Tessa and her friends were slated to start on Wednesday. Except for Gideon and Mark, who would be competing each Thursday instead. Tessa had talked this over in detail with Will, Victoria and Sophie, and it seemed like Ethan House had a solid team for the competition. There were twenty kids on their team, and with the exception of the Victoria-Cecily-Gabriel mess, everyone got along well.

Tessa put the flyer back into place and joined Will on the floor. She put her head on his chest, wrapped an arm around his torso and slung one of her legs over his. He kissed the top of her head and shifted slightly so that they were more comfortable. Will put one arm around Tessa's shoulders and twirled her hair in his fingers. He used his other hand to keep his book open. Tessa closed her eyes, wishing to capture this moment into the deepest corners of her memory.

She opened her eyes and peered up into Will's face. "Will, read to me. It's been so long since we've done that."

"Okay, what book do you want to read?"

She flipped the book in Will's hand to see the title on the front page. "I've read this one, but I really liked it. Just continue reading from wherever you left off."

Will let out a happy sigh and continued from he had left off in _The Kite Runner_.

"It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime..."

* * *

Cecily stared at the clock above 's head. She tapped her foot anxiously, waiting for class to end so that they could start the Olympics. It was really the only bright spot that Cecy had seen in the past few weeks, and she desperately needed some action.

At long last, the bell rang, and Cecily was the first one out the door. Honestly, who cared about Medieval Europe? As far as Cecily was concerned, they were all dead because they enjoyed war far too much. Whatever, that wasn't important now. She figured she would dump her stuff in her room and change before she grabbed some lunch. She reached the dorm quickly, and she dashed down the stairs to the first floor. She was moving so fast that she didn't even hear Gabriel coming up from the ground floor.

They plowed into each other on the landing of the steps, and Cecily hurriedly spit out "Oh my gosh I'm so-" before she realized that it was Gabriel's arms which had set her upright.

Cecily gulped and pulled herself out of them, turning past him into the West Wing of the floor. After entering her room, she tossed her book bag under her desk and flopped down onto the bed, allowing herself two minutes to freak out before she changed.

It may have been weeks since that party, but Cecily had only spoken to Gabriel once. Right after the meeting in the Headmistress' office, Gabriel had followed Cecily down one of Institute's many open air corridors. When he caught up with her, he had put his hand on her arm and whirled her to face him.

"Cecily, you need to talk to me. I can't go on like this."

Cecy stared at the ground and shrugged out of his reach. "Why are you here, Gabriel? You should be looking for Victoria."

"She won't want to see me."

"You mean you're too afraid to go talk to her. Or you don't want to. Am I right?" she asked.

Gabriel put one hand on his hip and ran the other through his hair. "A little. But you and I both know that no matter how hard I try to apologize, she won't take me back. She might forgive me someday, but she won't trust me again."

Cecily knew in the corners of her mind that he was right. Victoria did not forgive easily, and it was even harder for her to trust. Victoria's stubborn will was perhaps the only thing that Cecily really hated about her best friend, but she knew that Victoria would be heartbroken, regardless of the front she put out. And Cecily knew that as much as she wanted Gabriel, there was no way that she could parade her sentiments for him right in front of her. For everyone's sake, she lied.

"I know Gabriel. But that doesn't mean that we can be together. Just because you kissed me doesn't mean that you can have me. There is nothing between us; I don't know what you imagined. It was just a kiss and nothing else."

She had turned on her heel and stalked across the quad to the dorm. She went into her room, where Sophie was already present. She was stretched across her bed, a blank expression on her face. Normally, Cecily would've been more concerned, but she was too deep in her sorrow to notice. Finally, Sophie sat up when she noticed that Cecily hadn't said a word.

"Cecy, what happened?"

Cecily turned to look at Sophie. "I think I've broken three people's hearts, Sophie."

Sophie got up from her own bed and lied down next to Cecily on her's. "I'm really sorry, Cecy."

Cecily shrugged. "It was bound to happen at some point. But I just wish that the entire school didn't know about it. " When Sophie didn't respond, Cecy said "What's on your mind, Sophie?"

Sophie shuddered before she recounted the previous night to Cecily. Cecily bolted upright, her jaw dropped in shock. "Sophie, I can't believe this. Are you- Are you alright?"

Sophie opened her mouth to answer, but instead she burst into tears. "No Cecily, I'm not okay. I'm scared and embarrassed. I'm worried that he's going to find me again, since he knows where I go to school. And to make matters worse, Gideon was the one who found me. It's so humiliating" she sobbed. Cecily wordlessly took her friend into her arms. Cecily soon started to feel tears slipping down her own face. She and Sophie had clung to each other, murmuring comforting words to ease their hurt hearts.

Cecily snapped out of her reverie when she heard the door open. She hastily stood up and dived to stand in front of her wardrobe. She opened the wardrobe door and hastily began to pull on a pair of jeans and a shirt. When she was ready, she closed the door to find Sophie leaning against her own wardrobe, already changed.

"Hey Cecy, are you ready to go?" she asked, a smile plastered on her face. Cecily grinned, infected by Sophie's excitement.

"I've never been more ready. Let's stop by the dining hall and grab some lunch. After that, we can let the games begin!"

* * *

After a rather hurried lunch, Sophie and Cecily joined the rest of their teammates on the quad, waiting for the bell in the clock tower to chime one o'clock. Most of the team was already present. Jem grinned when he saw them.

"Hey guys! I think you're the last ones. Dean Roberts should be out any minute with the instructions for today's competition any minute now. Are you ready for this?"

Cecy laughed lightly and gave a jittery Jem a quick hug. "We're going to win. I can just feel it."

"Oh, I hope so. I want my first Olympics to be memorable" said Tessa, who had joined Jem, Cecily and Sophie. Will followed closely behind her. Cecily peered around her brother's shoulder to see if Victoria was coming, but she was too engrossed in a conversation with Oliver Rhodes, his roommate Logan Edwards, Charlotte Bell and her roommate, Abigail Burton, to really notice. Or she was purposefully avoiding them.

"Cecily, give her a little more time. She just needs a good distraction so she'll think clearly again" said Will, following his sister's gaze. The two of them had detached themselves from the group, and were talking in hushed undertones to each other. Before Ella died, Cecily and her brother had been very close. They had banded together in order to go against Ella's regime as the oldest child, in the manner that most young siblings do. But after she had died, Will never really seemed to want to talk to her. It wasn't until they had started going to school at Institute that Will had opened up again.

Cecily sighed. "I don't know Will. I've stopped by her room every night, only to be turned away. I've sent her a thousand texts, and she hasn't replied to one. And I tried waiting for her at meal times, but she never seems to show up. Tessa even mentioned that she's been eating at the oddest hours too. I wish I could say it was because she wanted a change in pace, but it's probably because she wants to stay away from both me and Gabriel. I don't know what to do."

Will sighed and pulled his sister into his embrace. "It'll be okay. If it makes you feel any better, I know that you aren't the one to blame. Damn that Lightwood."

Cecily closed her eyes. _Oh Will. If only you knew. I have feelings for Gabriel, and I can't even tell him. And I deserve as much blame as he does._ Cecily opened her eyes to find Gabriel staring at them, only to avert his gaze back to Thomas, Arjun Singhania and Sophia Chang when he realized that Cecily had noticed.

All of a sudden, the bell chimed one o'clock, and everyone hastily convened. All the other third form students were arranged into their houses. Dean Roberts appeared from one of the corridors. He was followed by Coach Michael and Coach Jen, who were to help with the event. Dean Roberts made his way to a small stone pedestal in the middle of the quad, where he set down a small box. All the groups were quiet, awaiting instructions for their first task.

Dean Roberts cleared his throat. "Gooooooood afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! I am pleased to announce the start of the 2013 House Olympics for the Institute Class of 2016!" His voice boomed across the quad, and all 120 students on the lawn cheered in unison. When the noise died down, Dean Roberts spoke up again. "I know that most of you know the rules to the Olympics by now, but bear with me while I repeat them again for the convenience of our new students." He pulled out a sheet of paper from the box.

"Over the course of the next four weeks, you, as members of your house and form, will compete in afternoon-long activities in order to determine which team is the most deserving of Institute's prize. The prize will be handed out the closing ceremonies, which, unlike the commencement of the Olympics, will be attended by the whole school. Each week, the activity will be announced at one o'clock on your competition day. At the end of the allotted time slot, each team will be awarded points based on the degree to which they completed the task. The winning team is the team with the most points by the last week. In the event of a tie, there will be an additional activity, which will occur amongst the teams in question. There will be rules for each activity, but there will also be a few general overarching there is any infringement on school rules, then the student in question will be eliminated from the competition. If any member of the team is caught in any legal issue, the person in question will be suspended, and the entire team will be eliminated from the competition. If there are any purposeful injuries, then the entire competition will be shut down. Do you understand me?"

All 120 heads bobbed up and down. 'Would they actually do that?" Tessa whispered to Tori. She nodded. "Tessa, you have to understand, Institute only adopts rules when something so serious happens that the rules are needed. They believe in an open education here, so the rules are a lot less rigid. There have been students who've broken the law and broken other school rules in order to win the Olympics. When my mum attended this school, someone wound up paralyzed from the waist down because of a trick gone horribly wrong."

Tessa blinked before she turned her attention mutely back to Dean Roberts, who was wrapping up his speech. "And I think this is it for the formalities. Onto the real part of the games" he said, slipping the formal rules into the box and pulling out a stack of envelopes. "I have your challenges right here. Do not open them until I say so" he said, handing an envelope to the first member of each team that he could reach. Logan took the cream-colored envelope from the Dean's outstretched hand. He turned it over in his hands, waiting for the signal.

After what seemed like hours, Dean Roberts finished handing out the cards and stood next to the stone pedestal. " One more thing. I want everyone to put their phones into the box set aside for your house." There was a slight grumble running through the crowd, who was surprised by this new stipulation. But nonetheless, everyone forked over their phones. After the hubbub had died down, Dean Roberts spoke again."Note that you have until five o'clock to complete your task" he said, holding the sound gun in his hand. "Let the gamessssssss… Begin!" he shouted, blasting the sound gun.


End file.
